Brian Lara

Sydney: Australia's cricketers have lost their 'fear factor' and could be heading towards a West Indies-style decline, batting great Brian Lara has warned. Lara, whose career began when the now struggling West Indies were in the ascendancy in the 1980s, sees some similarities in the trajectory of Steve Smith's Australia.

"The fear factor is no longer there and a similar thing happened to the West Indies 25 years ago," said Lara after Australia lost their fifth straight Test by an innings to South Africa on Tuesday.