The Australians are just one match away from securing a record-breaking 17th straight Test win, but far from being cheered before the big game, Ricky Ponting and co. are having to deal with condemnation for their lack of sportsmanship in Sydney.

Nielsen said the Australian players, who regroup here on Monday, will have to face upto the situation before thinking about cricket. “We’ll sit down as a group and see how each bloke has been affected by it and how they perceive it and make sure we have a pretty clear idea about how we want to go about it as we go forward individually and as a group,” Nielsen told reporters here.

“We won’t start to do too much cricket until we get those things done,” he added. Nielsen sympathised with skipper Ponting, who has had to face maximum criticism for his “abrasive” behaviour during the match. “Ricky has carried the can for us as far as having to front the press regularly and deal with these issues as captain,” Nielsen said.