Melbourne, Jan. 28: Former Australian Test quick Rodney Hogg has pulled no punches as far as commenting on the performances of the current squad under Ricky Ponting.

He claims that Punter's men are living in a fool''s paradise and insists that they have been "strutting around like peacocks" all summer in the foolish belief they were still the world''s best cricket team.

"They have been pulverised. I don''t think they realize where they are at and how badly they have been going," Fox Sports quoted Hogg, as saying.

"They have been strutting around like peacocks thinking they are the best in the world, but they''ve been living in denial. The reality is they are nowhere near No. 1 in the world - they are probably about No. 4," he added.

"A lot of their dismissals this summer have been really soft and they have to take a long, hard look at themselves," Hogg said.

After a long night of partying in Adelaide following South Africa''s emphatic romp, South African coach Mickey Arthur declared his side was ready to take Australia''s mantle as the No. 1 Test team.

"We want to have all our players refreshed for the Test series next month. We are expecting a backlash from Australia. We are realistic. They have had a lot of injuries this summer and lost some key players who have been pretty hard to replace," Arthur said.
(ANI)