Australia: Team in disarray; media in despair

A lot of despair was expressed by the Australian media after the national team fell seven runs short in the Hobart Test against New Zealand on Monday, to crumble to an embarrassing defeat.

While the obvious consequence of the defeat would have been unchecked bashing of a team that has now proven of sorts, that it is a fading shadow of a glorious past, Australian newspapers chose instead to come up with catchy lines penned to describe the performance and the decline.

Sydney Morning Herald's report began by comparing the team to a dialysis patient. "For four years, the Australian cricket team has struggled on like a dialysis patient waiting for a donor," began a report which eventually described how the pain of defeats can only auger well for Michael Clarke and his team.

The same report asked if James Pattinson, David Warner and Patrick Cummins can do for Australia what the former greats had achieved personally and for the team itself.

A separate report in The Age was not as forgiving. "The new selectors must give the axe an almighty swing," it suggested. "Australia will head into the marquee series of the Test summer against India with a batting line-up vulnerable to costly and spectacular collapses," the report went on to predict.

The series against India begins on December 26 and it has already been suggested in the Indian and Australian press that MS Dhoni's side will face one of the weakest Australian units in recent times. 'No way back before Boxing Day' was how The Australian chose to headline their assessment of the national team.

In fact, skipper Clarke has already hinted at taking strong decisions before facing India. "I am worried about every one of us, I can't be worried about the top order when the middle order didn't go very well either," he was quoted as saying.