Australia Reduced to Ashes: Ponting, Warne Say It's Just Lack of Intent, Guts

Australia's batting collapse on Day 1 of the Trent Bridge Test has shocked Aussie greats Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne. Australia were skittled out for a paltry 60 runs, their second lowest Test score in 79 years. Australia had scored 47 versus South Africa in 2011 at Cape Town.

Not only players from the sub-continent, that swing and pace can be challenge even for the Australians was clear. For the third successive time, Australia's top order fished for the ball and looked bereft of ideas as Stuart Broad finished with career-best figures of 8 wickets for 15 runs. (Broad Takes Career-Best Figures, Australia's Seventh Lowest Test Total)

Australia are the ODI World Cup champions but their pride as a Test side has suffered a massive setback. Warne believes some of the problems stem from the increased amount of limited-overs cricket being played. (Broad Joins Botham, Willis, Trueman With 300 Test Wickets)

"When was the last time there was a real five-day Test match that went down to the wire when the batters hung in there and tried to tough it out?" he said on Sky Sports.

"It all seems to be happening in fast forward too many times. It happened to England at Lord's as well, bowled out in 30 overs."

Warne, who took 708 Test wickets and scored more than 3,000 runs, gave credit to England for their bowling and catching in "a perfect session" before lunch at Trent Bridge.

"They exposed a couple of bad techniques," he said.

"Test cricket is all about technique, the basics. And all about fighting. Credit to Broad, he forced a lot of those errors but I still think Australia could have been a little bit more defensive and (shown) better technique.

"Technique is a teal issue on these sort of pitches. Play it as late as possible or leave it. It's about getting an ugly score, hanging in there, not giving your wicket away.

"As a batsman you've got to have a real plan. It looked like they were a bit shocked. There was no real plan and they should have learnt from the last test match."

Ponting questioned why the Australians had talked before the series about how positive they were going to be.

"Why say it?" he said. "You can be positive in defence, show intent by leaving the ball or playing a forward or backward defence.

"It doesn't have to be standing up and trying to whack it through the covers. That's not going to work in these conditions.

"I don't know if they're confused about the way they want to play. They shouldn't be. When conditions are like this you just have to find a way to get through.

"I just don't think they're defensive-minded enough. "Mitchell Johnson probably left the ball better than the top-order players. He was prepared to guts it out. But at that stage they were seven down."

(With inputs from Reuters)