The image crisis that has hit the Australians after the ill-tempered Sydney Test has left coach Tim Nielsen concerned about how his tem will get their focus back on cricket.
PERTH: The image crisis that has hit the Australians after the ill-tempered Sydney Test against India has left coach Tim Nielsen concerned about how his world champion wards will get their focus back on cricket ahead of the Perth Test.
The Australians are just one match away from securing a record-breaking 17th straight Test win but far from being cheered before the big game, Ricky Ponting and co. are having to deal with condemnation for their lack of sportsmanship in Sydney.
Nielsen said the Australian players, who regroup here on Monday, will have to face upto the situation before thinking about cricket.
"We'll sit down as a group and see how each bloke has been affected by it and how they perceive it and make sure we have a pretty clear idea about how we want to go about it as we go forward individually and as a group," Nielsen said here.
"We won't start to do too much cricket until we get those things done," he added.
The coach felt the break between the controversy-hit Sydney match and the upcoming Perth encounter has given the players time to get over the furore but it would be 'interesting to see' how the individuals have reacted to the situation.
"We've had a nice break, we've had a chance to get away and process all the stuff that has been going on individually," he said.
"We need to make sure we are switched on come Monday morning," Nielsen said.
Nielsen sympathised with skipper Ponting, who has had to face maximum criticism for his 'abrasive' behaviour during the match, and said the team was firmly behind him in the current crisis.
"Ricky has carried the can for us as far as having to front the press regularly and deal with these issues as captain," Nielsen said.
"Ideally, we can sit down with him now and offer him some support and work through this as a group," he added.
Nielsen also hoped that the meeting between Ponting and Kumble translates into an end to the hostilities between the two sides.
"I hope that Ricky and Anil can get together and have a really good chat about these things," he said.
He, however, maintained that contrary to the criticism the world champions play fair and with integrity.
"We do play it hard, we do play it fair, but the honesty and integrity that goes with wearing a baggy green cap is pretty strong for our group," he said.
"In those 50-50 calls, there is too much or our players to lose by being anything but honest. If they start playing with those sorts of things, they start degrading what 120 years of Test cricket has done for us," he added.
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