Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has thrown support behind embattled Australian captain Steve Smith as the external inquest into the struggling team continues.
A disastrous day one in Hobart has accelerated calls for wholesale change in the team, with the latest in a long line of batting collapses all but handing South Africa victory in the Test - and consequently series - by stumps on day one.
The defeat would be Australia's fifth straight Test loss, which would see Smith join Michael Clarke and Kim Hughes as the only Australian captains to have skippered five straight losses.
But Sutherland is insistent Smith is the right man to be leading the Australian cricket team through this time of crisis.
"We certainly are very conscious of the fact that Steve has come into the role much younger than any of his four or five predecessors," Sutherland told Grandstand.
"I had a look the other day - you go back to [Alan] Border, [Mark] Taylor, [Steve] Waugh, [Ricky] Ponting, [Michael] Clarke - between 29 and 34 I think they came into the captaincy of the Australian team. Steve was 26.
"All of them came into the team as world-class batsmen and a very important role they played as batters obviously, but I certainly don't think if you look back in history, certainly in my time, none of them made an easy, smooth transition into the job.
"But we have a very high regard for Steve Smith as a person as a leader and obviously as a cricketer, and we think that with his support, and as he builds a team around him and they perform, he's got a very bright future as a leader for a long time to come."
But all the good faith in the world can not make up for the dismal recent performances by the team.
In the public search for answers, many have come to the same conclusion - an emphasis on short-form cricket and the dilution of the Sheffield Shield have made the Test players unprepared for the long form of the game.
Australia's players came home from a one day series in South Africa and played only one Shield game before the Test summer. Some players, like Mitchell Starc, were nursed through that match and played limited time.
But Sutherland does not believe it has been a factor in this Test series.
"I don't think the preparation is anything Australian cricket can complain about," he said. "The South Africans have had the same schedule in terms of preparation as we've had.
Test side not over-coached: Pat Howard
Cricket Australia official Pat Howard can understand criticism of his organisation, the Test side's batting collapses, coaches and players.
Howard feels many of the theories being putting forward for the current crisis, which culminated in Australia being skittled for 85 on day one of the second Test against South Africa, have merit.
But Howard won't cop the notion that Steve Smith's side have too many coaches and support staff on hand in Hobart.
A handful of former players have expressed concerns the Test XI is being mollycoddled and/or over-coached, with Ian Healy raising the latter as an issue during the washed-out second day of the second Test.
"I do question, have we got too many coaches in there?" Healy said on the Nine Network.
Howard noted those concerns were only raised during times like this and doubted whether there was a causal link between Australia's woeful batting collapses and the number of staff on hand to help.
"That's an interesting one that comes out in these situations," high-performance chief Howard said.
"But let's be fair, South Africa, England, India - we've all got similar structures in and around the team.
"(It is) the same structure we had when we were No.1 in the world six months ago.
"I've heard that sort of commentary when you're struggling and I hear it a lot, but at the same time the opposition's had the same and no-one's asking that question of them."
Howard also rejected the idea that having more players sign up for county cricket would fix the current batting crisis.
"The magic bullet of 'they play there and they will be better' is not always the case," he said.
"Usman (Khawaja) and Joe (Burns) have played there, so has Adam Voges ... (but) David Warner and Steve Smith haven't and their records are probably better.
"But, I don't think it hurts .. and we have been proactive in that space of getting people over there."
