They are in a dire run of form, their media have turned on them, their former players have been openly critical and now one of Australia's star batsmen has been dropped after launching an unprovoked attack against an England cricketer in the early hours of Sunday morning in a Birmingham theme pub.
David Warner, one of several Australian cricketers under pressure before the Champions Trophy one-day tournament and back-to-back Ashes series, threw a punch at the English rising star Joe Root and struck him with what was described as a "glancing blow" following a late-night altercation over a fancy dress wig.
The green and gold wig can now be filed alongside posters for a "Mad Midget Weekend" in Queenstown (Mike Tindall, Rugby World Cup 2011), a pedalo in the Caribbean (Andrew Flintoff, Cricket World Cup 2007) and a dentist's chair from a Hong Kong bar (Teddy Sheringham, Euro 96) in the archive of pre-tour sporting infamy.
But these were English crises. The Australian's late punch amounts to a role reversal of epic proportions, leaving their touring cricketers in turmoil and their fans at home fearing the worst before a crucial sporting summer.
With the country already reeling from a disappointing showing at the Olympics and a damning report that claimed doping was endemic in Australian sport, the turmoil in their once all-conquering cricket team has led to uncharacteristically gloomy introspection in a country for whom sporting success is a key part of the national psyche.
The scene was Birmingham's Walkabout, one of a chain of Australian theme pubs across the country. The bar's manager described as a "small altercation" in which Warner is believed to have taken exception to Root pretending the wig was a beard and snatched it from him. He then aimed a punch at Root, the 22-year-old Yorkshire batsman who is nicknamed the Milky Bar Kid by his county teammates and has made a swashbuckling start to his international career.
It was claimed by sources close to the player that Warner believed Root was poking fun at the bearded South African batsman Hashim Amla, who was not present, but England and Wales Cricket Board insiders strongly denied the suggestion.
They said Root, who had only been in the bar for a short time, had placed the wig on his chin because he is regularly ribbed in the dressing room about his ability to grow a beard and that Warner came from nowhere to snatch it away before aiming a punch at him. Australia's Clint McKay ushered Warner away, while Stuart Broad protected his young England teammate.
All four were in the Walkabout bar between 1.30am and 2.30am when the incident happened, following England's victory over Australia in their opening match in the one day Champions Trophy. But while the Australia players were in the club's VIP section, England's players were at the bar.
John Creighton, the bar's manager of the bar, said that none of the players had been drinking to excess. He said Warner, who was "quite familiar" to their bar staff after visiting the pub regularly, settled the bar tab.
But Warner, dropped from Australia's team to play New Zealand at Edgbaston on Wednesday, will now have to explain his actions to Cricket Australia officials after being formally charged with breaking its disciplinary code. Before the tour started, he had already been disciplined and fined after becoming embroiled in a Twitter war of words with Australian journalists.
The England captain, Alastair Cook, staunchly defended Root's role in the fracas and the right of his players to celebrate their victory. "We had a couple of days off and a couple of days training. It's very important they do sometimes let their hair down. To celebrate wins also builds team spirit. He seems fine, there is no physical injury. He is an excellent young man and has been excellent since he came into the team. He wants to put it behind him," he said.
The incident heaps further pressure on an already struggling Australia. They were thrashed 4-0 in their last Test series in India, last week they were bowled out for 65 in a Champions Trophy warm-up match against the same opposition and were beaten convincingly by England in their opening match. The coach Mickey Arthur and captain Michael Clarke are fighting to maintain discipline. On the recent tour to India, four players were dropped for failing to supply requested feedback – sanctions that immediately led to headlines saying they had been axed for not doing their homework.
Clarke, Wisden's cricketer of the year last year, remains an injury doubt and the decision to take advantage of new citizenship laws to call up leg spinner Fawad Ahmed, a refugee from Pakistan, to fill a glaring hole in their bowling attack has sparked a political row at home. Former players including Shane Warne have criticised Cricket Australia for not knowing their best team in the midst of a generational shift.
But despite some pundits, including the former England captain Sir Ian Botham, predicting easy Ashes victories for England at home and away, others are not tempting fate against an old enemy that has traditionally had the last laugh.
Australians are pinning their hopes on their rugby union team, who kick off their first Test against the British & Irish Lions on 22 June, and noting that their footballers remain on track to qualify for the 2014 World Cup at a time when England's participation remains in the balance.
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