KEY POINTS:
There will be nowhere to hide for Australia's cricketers when they get home later today if this morning's papers are anything to go by.
The media across the Tasman was united in its condemnation of their side after the Black Caps' extraordinary win over them last night - chasing down a target of 347 with three balls to spare.
The Sydney Morning Herald held no punches in its assessment: "Cue the blood-curdling scream. Australia's horror tour of New Zealand ended in a violent blur of batting and human suffering last night."
The paper went on to note that it was "not so much a wake-up call as a runaway road-train barrelling through the bedroom wall of Australia's World Cup planners".
For good measure it added: "Every Australian loss on this tour was record-breaking in its own, depressing way."
For The Australian, the most worrying aspect was that Australia again failed to take advantage of a good batting performance, saying the loss exposed their "dreadful inability to protect big scores".
Again, the fears for the side's World Cup chances - rated almost a dead cert just weeks ago - were at the top of writer Malcolm Conn's mind: "Australia's loss adds to the confusion of an increasingly uncertain World Cup campaign."
The sentiment was echoed by the Brisbane Courier-Mail which said the team would be heading to the Caribbean next week "with its confidence in tatters after crashing to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat in the Chappell-Hadlee series".
The paper said: "While national coach John Buchanan insists this tour has little bearing on its World Cup campaign, Australia's inability to restrict the Kiwis on the type of compact grounds they will face in the Caribbean is seriously disconcerting."
The bowling performance was the key concern for many, with the West Australian saying: "The result leaves Australia in an almighty hole as they turn their attention to the World Cup in the Caribbean, with enormous question marks hanging over the team's bowling attack, which on Tuesday sent down 22 wides."
- NZHERALD STAFF
