Angry media slam Australia

Australia's first home-series defeat in 16 years has prompted an understandable depression by their media, and no shortage of anger either.

The Daily Telegraph's Ray Chesterton is one, claiming Australian cricket has died. "It simply followed a short illness complicated by player arrogance, chronic selection short-sightedness, poor captaincy decisions, unreliable batting, indecisive bowling and fielding clumsiness," he wrote. "Australia, propped up by statistics, are still No. 1 in world rankings. But after dismal series losses to India and South Africa, this Australian team is so lifeless it could come to the next Test in a hearse."

In the Courier-Mail, Robert Craddock gives both barrels to Andrew Hilditch, Australia's chairman of selectors. "Hilditch, who has done a modest job as national selection chairman since taking the post from Trevor Hohns, has changed 15 successive Test teams. Talk about a team becoming a transit lounge," Craddock wrote. He went on to slam the selectors' lack of planning. "Australia have paid a heavy price for not formulating succession plans for the retirements of spinners Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill and Brad Hogg. Like a child on Christmas morning, the selectors simply expected there would be a present under their tree."

Over in the Sydney Morning Herald, Aaron Timms is fed up of Australia's "acting talents" in his whimsical piece entitled Our cricketers are turning into Pinters. "Already there are signs of irreversible Pinterisation among many members of this Australian team: recall any of the Ford backyard cricket ads from this season and it is abundantly clear that most of our cricketers are hopelessly in thrall to their own acting talent."