Stats point out the sad state of Australian cricket

Australian skipper Steve Smith departs during Australia's second innings in Hobart. Photo / AP

With a second test defeat to South Africa yesterday, the Australian cricket team are out to avoid their first home whitewash in 129 years.

The third test, a day-night test in Brisbane, begins next Thursday and before then the side have some tough stats to swallow from recent performances.

* Australia are on-track for their first home-series whitewash defeat since 1887, when England won a two-Test series 2-0.

* Australia's defeat marked the first time they have lost the first two Tests of a summer since 1988.

* Australia's match total of 246 was their lowest at home in 112 years when losing 20 wickets. It was also their second lowest aggregate anywhere in the world since 1913.

* Australia have now lost seven straight matches to South Africa in all forms of the game. The last time they had such a streak was when they lost eight consecutive games to the West Indies in 1984.

* Australia's loss by an innings and 80 runs was their biggest ever in Hobart.

* Australia's first-innings total of 85 was the lowest they have ever been dismissed for on the first day of a home Test.

* Australia's first innings score of 85 was their lowest in a home Test in 65 years.

* Australia lost their first four first-innings wickets for less than 10 for the first time in the country's Test history.

* Australia have lost five consecutive Tests for only the second time since 1984.

* Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and JP Duminy become the first players since West Indians Desmond Haynes and Courtney Walsh to win three Test series in Australia.

* Australia average 72.5 in the first innings of the last two Tests when they have played six specialist batsmen.

* Joe Burns has failed to reach the third over of the Australian innings in his last four digs.

* Burns' duck in the second innings in Hobart was his fourth in 21 Test innings. He has also failed to reach double figures nine times, and passed three just once in his past six innings.

* Adam Voges has not passed 50 in his past 11 innings, and averages 14.50 since the start of the tour of Sri Lanka.