Austra-laid.

Time-stamp: Adelaide Oval, as of 5th December 2010, in the Ashes contest of 2010-11.

When was Australia last seen struggling so much at home ?

Counting on from the first ball of the second Innings of the previous Test at Brisbane, Australia have so far conceded a mind-boggling sum of 1068 runs for the purchase of just 5 England wickets, and also given up 5 centuries (including two doubles) in the process.... a pedestrian effort that is a complete antithesis of the Australia I know.

I do not recall Australia get dominated so much by a  touring England, or perhaps even by any other touring side, in my life time of Cricket.

Agreed that the bowling Australia is a very young side. All the 5 main bowlers taken together clock just 64 Tests between them, but a pathetic 1000+ runs for 5 wickets on home turf belies whatever  previously held images of a fighting/resourceful Australian spirit that I had held for myself.

It sets me thinking about a similar scenario that may become of the Indian batting in 2011/12, after the stalwarts in its line up go away. Will the likes of Kohli, Vijay, Raina et-all do well enough to absorb the shock coming from the pothole of Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman's absence ?