Rejuvenated pace spearhead Starc claimed 10 wickets for the match as the hosts made short work of Sri Lanka to wrap up a 366-run win in front of 2004 at Manuka Oval on Monday.

While Starc took man of the match honours in Canberra, Pat Cummins was named player of the series after he claimed 14-109 across two matches at a phenomenal average of 7.78.

The 2-0 series whitewash sees captain Paine and Justin Langer hurl the monkey off their backs after Australia secured their first Test series triumph in 13 months.

Through that period Australia has grappled with the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Jasprit Bumrah, while Englishman James Anderson awaits.

Just how close is Cummins to such company after a standout summer saw him catapulted into the vice-captaincy role?

"He's got to be pretty close to it, doesn't he? The difference with Pat and those guys is he doesn't take the new ball," Paine said.

"So he bowls at times when the ball's not doing as much and the wicket's a bit flatter. I think his ability to get it done in all conditions - whether it's moving around or not - is second to none.

"I felt as the summer went on he got better and better the more he bowled. It felt like the quicker and more accurate he was bowling. He'd be the fastest Australian bowler to 90 wickets. That probably says he's right up there."

The hapless Sri Lankans folded for 149 in pursuit of an ultimately insurmountable 516 to bring down the curtain on a tumultuous tour.

Starc (5-46) showed his first innings burst was more than a flash in the pan as he moved into 15th on Australia's all-time leading wicket takers list.

The 29-year-old could conceivably be sitting on the cusp of the top 10 by the end of this year's Ashes series, sitting one scalp behind cult hero Merv Hughes on an honour roll littered with legends.

However an undermanned Sri Lanka offered little in the way of resistance on the final day in a sobering reminder of what the future may hold for Starc and the Australian team.

England should prove a tougher test on home soil than Sri Lanka did down under, rolled inside three and four days at the Gabba and Manuka Oval respectively.

But there is no denying the impact a 10-wicket haul to an embattled quick and a century to struggling batsman Usman Khawaja will have on their confidence.

"A real lesson in a lot of the younger guys in the team Test cricket is not always easy no matter how good you are. You have to work really hard," Paine said.

"Whilst those two guys haven't had outstanding summers or as good a summers as they would have liked the way they went about it at training and the way they led our group in terms of effort and how you prepare to play Test cricket was great for them to see.

"For the younger guys to see them go through a really tough period, not throw in the towel and keep working away and get the results they did in this Test was a really good lesson in perseverance. I know a lot of the young guys will really learn a lot from that."