Herald Sun
The Carl Hooper (for Shane Watson) of Australian cricket remains as he ever was, a mercurial talent who would have been an added bonus in a winning team, but is asked to shoulder more than he can handle as a leader in a losing one. (Watson) could sell advertising space on his pads, so prominently are they featuring in each day’s play
Daily Telegraph
What a mess, what a shambles, what a debacle, what an embarrassment. Some of Australia’s most well-paid professional sportsmen have been responsible for amateur-hour. There can’t have been few more mindless batting performances than Australia’s appalling 128 during the second day at lord’s.
Australia’s feeble collapse had nothing to do with outside distractions from (sacked coach) Mickey Arthur or anyone else, it was just simple ineptitude.
The players have no one to blame but themselves. Cricket Australia spends millions pampering and preparing its players with a support staff almost the size of a cricket team.”
The Sydney morning Herald
The British department of health has announced that the current heat wave has contributed to more than 700 fatalities. Australian batting was not listed among them, but the Ashes, as a contest, headed into the weekend on a morphine drip.
A batting collapse such as Australia’s on Friday was one of the few things about this series that was anticipated. Its precedents go back not just to India, but reach deep into the (Ricky) Ponting years.
The roll call reads like the carved frieze in a war memorial. Perth, 2012. Hobart, 2011. Cape Town, 2011. Melbourne, 2010. Headingley, 2010. They go back to the one that most resembles this, which was at the Oval Test match in the Ashes series of 2009, when the entire rubber was decided between lunch and tea on the second day.
The Australian
Australia has clocked up some vintage defeats over the last few years. MCG 2010. Newlands 2011. Waca 2012. But lord’s 2013 has been as shabby and public a humbling as any of them. Victor Trumper! Donald Bradman! Shane Warne and by now probably Elizabeth Hurley! Your boys took one hell of a beating!”