Pom's view: The death of Test cricket in England

There are cracks emerging in the England camp it seems, but in the eyes of some media, Jofra Archer has become the butt of some unfair jokes as his side struggle to retain much dignity in the Ashes series.

Having gone 2-0 down after another capitulation in Brisbane, Ben Stokes and his side are staring down the barrel of a humiliating defeat in a series that was hyped up as the most anticipated in decades.

Before they head to Adelaide for a must-win third showdown, England have gone for some R&R. A mid-tournament break is nothing new for a travelling cricket team, and while England have received criticism for heading to Noosa for beach and beers, they have been defended by their rivals.

Among those criticising the beach break, the anger is not being directed at the players but the "brain-dead, cash-obsessed imbeciles who run the England and Wales Cricket Board".

Here’s what the media back home is saying about their team:

England fans are losing patience with this catastrophic Ashes tour:

Simon Heffer has unleashed on the England Cricket Board for the catastrophic trip to Noosa, which he says will play a part in the death of Test cricket.

"The whole concept of this tour had catastrophe written all over it from day one," he writes. "It is not the shell-shocked poor bloody infantry sitting on a beach and probably dreaming of Blighty, however ghastly the weather, who are to blame: it is the brain-dead, cash-obsessed imbeciles who run the England and Wales Cricket Board.

"They not only designed such a tour but have for years designed English cricket seasons that incrementally degrade the standard of serious cricket by having less and less of it at the expense of trivial, unmemorable, contrived spectacles of white-ball trash that leave most genuine cricket lovers bored and dissatisfied.

"I feel for the England followers who have spent a fortune to go out and support this rabble. Before too long people will stop paying to support our team, first abroad, and then at home, and Test cricket will die in England. The game at its highest level is becoming a joke."

Also in the UK Telegraph, Will Macpherson says “Archer deserves better than being the butt of Australia’s jokes.”

Macpherson explains that “Jofra Archer was already carrying an unreasonably heavy burden for England on his first Ashes tour” and it’s only set to worsen with news Mark Wood has gone home injured.

“All the pressure is now on Archer to bowl consistently at his best to give the side any hope of clawing themselves back into the series.

“England have bowlers who are quick, but only Archer is frighteningly fast, and could truly crack a game open in a moment. As Australia welcome back Pat Cummins to join Mitchell Starc, Archer stands alone.”

Macpherson also notes that the sledge exchange between Archer and Steve Smith at the end of the test in Brisbane “has put a target on Archer’s back for the rest of this tour”.

On top of the Smith “banter” Archer has copped “champ” from Ricky Ponting, Smith and other experts, including SEN’s Gerard Whateley.

“Normally, this would have seemed an utterly electric passage between old foes. Instead, with Smith coming out on top and providing something for his countrymen to giggle at, it was a rather undignified end to an embarrassing defeat for England.

“Archer can expect to hear plenty more champs, and some worse insults, for the rest of the series. England are the butt of plenty of jokes, and now Archer is too.”

James Anderson comes into bat for Stokes:

He made a bold statement after the Brisbane loss that "there was no room for weak men" in his locker room but Stokes is coming under increasing pressure.

Some journalists have suggested the captaincy is on the line in Adelaide - a stretch maybe - but James Anderson has defended Stokes in his latest column suggesting the rest of the

"Stokesy can’t do everything, but his bowlers in this squad aren’t the kind of personalities who can help him out," Anderson writes.

"This England team is missing a leader in the attack. We don’t have a captain of the bowlers any more, someone checking in on the group, bouncing ideas around.

"It feels as if Stokes is having to do everything. What should be happening is a collective effort as a bowling group.

“You have got to be talking to each other all the time. It looks as if Stokes is on his own."

Alex Carey meanwhile, has defended England’s trip to Noosa.

“The Ashes is very hotly contested, you don’t want to be thinking of cricket every single day of the tour," he told the travelling media. "If you do have a little break it’s probably not a bad time to refresh the batteries,” said Alex Carey, the Australia wicket-keeper.

“It’s a pretty big series with lots of time between games. The Australia cricket team gets to go home for a few days and be with the families, so touring parties have got to find time to fill in those little windows.

“It’s totally up to the touring groups to find ways to take your mind off cricket for a little bit.”