Peter Siddle expects Australia’s pacemen will need to bend their backs a lot more in the second Test on a dry Port Elizabeth pitch.
With Mitchell Johnson at his scary best, South Africa failed to make it to a 63rd over in either of their innings as Australia posted a 281-run victory in the first Test.
But, while heavy rain fell in Centurion for much of the lead-up to the series opener, juicing up the deck, Port Elizabeth has been unseasonably dry for several months.
Siddle predicted that he, Johnson and Ryan Harris would all need to re-jig their approach on a far slower wicket for the second Test starting on Thursday.
“But it will be no different to at home where you go from the wicket at Brisbane and rock up to Adelaide where you have to change your approach,” Siddle said.
“There’s probably going to have to be a few changes made.
Siddle has past experience in Port Elizabeth fom the Twenty20 Champions League in 2010.
“The pitch didn’t offer up a lot, it kept low,” he said.
“I am assuming it’s going to be the same. It’s the end of the season, there’s been a few matches on it.
“So it’s probably going to be a bit of hard work, but we will just have to wait and see.”
If the pitch is as expected and Shane Watson is able to prove his fitness at training it will be harder for selectors to leave the allrounder on the sidelines as an extra bowling option could be valuable.
Australia are in the box seat to push for their first Test series win on foreign soil since beating the West Indies 2-0 in April, 2012.
Much of that is thanks to Johnson’s brutal display at Centurion, where he claimed 12 scalps but also rattled helmets and drew blood.
Siddle said the benefit of Johnson’s fear factor was not contained to his own dangerous four-over spells.
“He’s building so much pressure on the batsman that when they get to the other end, their footwork is a bit shaky and we can make the most of that,” Siddle said of he and fellow bowlers Ryan Harris and Nathan Lyon.
“You can build a bit more pressure, the way I bowl (when Johnson is on at the other end).”