Adding to former captain Allan Border saying the Australians should be “embarrassed” by their Lord’s showing, McGrath says his countrymates have hit “rock bottom” and if they don’t heed the wake-up call of their flogging at Lord’s soon, they’re not worthy of the baggy green.

“They say that you have to hit the bottom before you can start to get back up. And that is where this Australia team are right now, rock bottom,” he wrote in his Guardian column.

“If these players have not heard the wake-up call by now, then they do not deserve to be in the Australia team. They have to turn this series around right now.

“If they don’t, some of the blokes in this squad could find that their international careers end with the fifth Test at The Oval.”

During his playing days, McGrath became known for always predicting a 5-0 whitewash of the English – he didn’t do that this time around and we’ve discovered why. The Aussies are way off the pace.

McGrath has also joined the chorus calling for the axing of Ashton Agar, the 19-year-old spinner he presented the coveted headwear to on his debut at Trent Bridge.

Agar may have scored a fighting 98 in his first test, but his return of two wickets in two tests for 248 runs isn’t enough to keep him in the team.

McGrath says he should be replaced by Nathan Lyon, who was a shock omission in the first place given his steady numbers in the test arena.

“Nathan Lyon, between his debut in 2011 and the start of this series, took as many wickets in Test cricket as any other Australian bowler, 76 at an average of 33. He should start the next Test,” McGrath wrote.

“I also expect Fawad Ahmed, who just took eight wickets in a match for Australia A in Zimbabwe, to come into the squad.

“I like Ashton Agar and admire his energy but on these dry pitches, we need a spinner who can make more of an impact on a match than he is able to at this early stage in his career.”

He’s also called on his mate Shane Watson to live up to expectations.

“I think he needs to score at least a couple of hundreds in what is left of this series, because he is one of those guys who is, potentially, at crunch time in his Test career,” he wrote.

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