A major shake-up of Australian cricket is expected in the wake of relinquishing the Ashes to England after a titanic five-Test series, Australian media said on Tuesday.
A pugnacious maiden Test century by Kevin Pietersen secured England's first Ashes series win for 18 years after the fifth and final Test was drawn at The Oval Monday with Michael Vaughan's team taking the series 2-1.
Ricky Ponting's tourists will return home this week without the Ashes, less than two months after they raised the possibility of a 5-0 series win in the wake of their crushing, 239-run victory in the first Test at Lord's.
While consensus here on talkback radio was that England thoroughly deserved their series victory and that it was a fillip for cricket overall, there will be a fall-out over this hard-felt defeat.
Several of the tourists have probably played their last Test match for Australia, most likely struggling fast bowlers Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz, while senior batsman Damien Martyn is another under the gun after a poor series.
"The selectors must decide quickly whether the winds of change will blow through the side for the Super Series against the rest of the World in Melbourne and Sydney next month," The Australian's Malcolm Conn said. "Continuing failures in that intense program of three one-day matches and a six-day Test must be punished.
"Otherwise fading batsmen will fill their boots against the hapless, hopeless West Indian bowlers during the three-Test series this October, giving a false impression that everything is OK."
Coach John Buchanan is another whose future is on the line with his contract with Cricket Australia about to expire.
"Buchanan will be placed under pressure by Cricket Australia to change his methods in the wake of Australia's performance if he is to be granted a new contract," The Daily Telegraph's Robert Craddock wrote. "He has been lauded as a man who helped challenge the side to reach fresh heights, to help them to look inside themselves to solve their own problems and to work in groups to plan their own strategies. "But, with a new generation looming, there is a feeling he needs to be more of a technical nuts and bolts man. "This is not his strength so he will be encouraged to look outside the squad for assistance if he is reappointed."
But, according to selector and former Test batsman David Boon, changes in the ageing Australian line-up won't be instant ahead of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.
"It was a fitting series result for a team that outplayed the world champion for most of the series and a finale that did perfect justice to the drama that had unfolded in the previous four Tests," The Herald's Chloe Saltau wrote.
Cricket Australia, which will conduct a full review of the epic 14-week with team management in the coming weeks, congratulated England on regaining the Ashes.
"This has been a remarkable series from start to finish and we respect the way that England has played and won in such quality fashion," CA chairman Bob Merriman said in a statement.
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