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Sydney: The Australian press on Sunday hoped for a miracle to help their team defy history and retain the Ashes against England.
Australia, at stumps on Saturday's third day of the final Test at The Oval, were 80 without loss and still needing a further 466 runs to reach what would be a new Test record fourth innings victory total of 546.
The Australians face a mammoth task winning, or even batting out the remaining two days to force a draw, which would be enough to hold on to the urn they won back from England in the 2006/07 home series.
The biggest fourth-innings chase in the London ground's history was 263 by England against Australia in 1902, while the all-time Test record of 418 by the West Indies against Australia in 2003 is also well short of the mark set by England.
"The urn is set to change hands for the third time in as many series after Australia conceded they need 'something special' to save the series," The Sun-Herald said.
"After Australia's first innings effort of 160 on the controversial pitch, which continued to dissolve into a sandpit, one of the all-time great turnarounds is required to retain the Ashes."
The Sunday Telegraph said barring a world record run-chase or a deluge of unforecast rain, Australia look like handing back the Ashes.
"The victory target still looks impossible and survival looks just as tough on a dry and dusty pitch," the paper's Ben Dorries said.
"Let's not forget Australia was 0-73 in the first innings before it lost 10-87 and was bowled out for 160."
The Sunday Telegraph drew parallels between Australian skipper Ricky Ponting's bleeding mouth after he took a nasty blow while fielding, to his team's predicament.
"The whack highlighted that just about everything which could go wrong has gone wrong, starting at the selection table, with the omission of front-line spinner Nathan Hauritz on a dry pitch that has turned disconcertingly from day one," the paper's Malcolm Conn said.
The Sun-Herald's Peter Roebuck said the Australian team had paid the price for their inability to play swing bowling allied with selection mistakes.
"The glaring mistake in this series has been their (selectors') habit of choosing the team for the previous match and not the next one," Roebuck said.
"Hauritz's omission was a palpable blunder. Those responsible saw the pitch beforehand. Marcus North was steady but part-time tweakers cannot be expected to operate as efficiently as specialists.
"Truly it has been a strange series," he said. "Australia have been the better side and could expect to get six players into a composite side. But England have produced the match winning performances."
Former Test spinner Greg Matthews said Australia's batsmen had to be forceful in their final innings, but they faced a difficult challenge.
"It's just hard to imagine Australia scoring 546 to win because the pitch is just so difficult," Matthews said on SBS TV.
"The England tail showed that the only way to bat on this pitch is to be aggressive and chance your arm just a little bit.
"I thought Australia were very positive at the end of the day and at 0-80 that's the scenario Australia needed, but there is such a long way to go."
Former Test batsman Damien Martyn was the only pundit to offer Australia any hope of pulling off a famous victory.
"It's still a two horse race, and you're always a chance," Martyn said on SBS TV.
"As a batsman, the simple thing is you go about your own game and keep looking to score runs rather than just occupying the crease.
"Records are there to be broken at some stage, and what better time than in a deciding match to win the Ashes."
