Australia's cricketers have been labelled bad sports for their unruly behaviour in Tuesday's fourth Test loss to West Indies.

While much credit was given to the host's world record run-chase of 418, the Australian media focussed on the row between Glenn McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

The Sydney Morning Herald's cricket writer Peter Roebuck said the verbal exchange and McGrath's finger-pointing had sullied the match and the game's image.

"Regardless of the result, the Australians have done nothing to enhance their reputations as sportsmen," Roebuck wrote in Wednesday's paper. "If victory cannot be achieved without recourse to the sort of antagonism seen in Antigua then it is not worth bothering about. Cricket searched for a champion team and found only an unscrupulous aggressor."

Roebuck's sentiments were echoed by The Australian's columnist Patrick Smith who said the incident was an embarrassment to Australian officials at a time when they have promised to clean up the game.

"The line between belligerence and hostility is a fine one ... Australian cricket has been at fault for allowing their players to hang about the line for so long. Australian administrators have tolerated their cricketers' boorishness because they have been the dominant team throughout the world and success generates interest and income."

Sydney's Daily Telegraph columnist Mike Gibson criticised match referee Mike Proctor for not taking stronger action against McGrath when he began waving his finger at umpire David Shepherd.

Under the headline 'Aussies are out of control', Gibson wrote: "Instead of making McGrath aware that his behaviour was unacceptable and would not be tolerated, he allowed the umpire to be humiliated by a player who had lost control. The lily-livered reaction of those in charge has made a laughing stock of the game."