The English media has praised some of the battling Australian players despite reveling in England's dramatic win in the fourth Ashes Test at Durham, although they reckoned that Australian captain Michael Clarke needed to get more 'nastier'.
According to Telegraph.com.au, England legend Ian Botham praised the winning hosts in The Mirror, calling them 'magnificent' and saying that the match ended in triumph for the 'best team'.
Commending England bowler's Stuart Broad's heroics, which saw the home side take a 3-0 series lead after a dramatic fourth day in Durham, Botham said that Broad's bowling is a 'magnificent spell of match-winning high-quality pace bowling, while The Guardian said that Broad seemed to be fuelled by anger, as if sick of the listlessness which has dogged England through much of this Test and the last.
However, The Times believed that the current Australian team, especially captain Michael Clarke, is simply too nice and needs to find a harder edge if they harbour any ambitions of getting back on top of the world.
Stating that Clarke has resisted turning into 'Mr. Nasty', the paper also said that his predecessor Ian Chappell had developed a genuine and intense animosity with certain opponents unlike Clarke, who the paper said, has affected a demeanour that must 'surely have baffled his more curmudgeonly predecessors as Australia's captain'.
The paper further said that although Clarke deserves credit and respect for the manner he has approached a job with limited short-term prospects, but there will undoubtedly be some, back home, thinking it is time he stopped smiling and developed some nastiness.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail praised Australian opener David Warner, saying that Warner put in a performance that completed his journey from liability to a player any coach would wish to have, adding that he looked a 'damn good player' on Monday, with his strength of character coming through.