McDermott expecting Johnson to `bowl even faster` in `home` Perth Test
Sydney – Australian bowling coach Craig McDermott expects express paceman Mitchell Johnson to bowl even faster when the adrenalin of a home Perth Test kicks in, according to reports.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Johnson has destroyed England’s batting line-up in consecutive Test wins to place Australia on the cusp of regaining the Ashes going into the third Test at the WACA starting Friday.
The left-arm quick has taken 17 wickets at an average of 12.7, claiming successive man-of-the-match awards in Brisbane and Adelaide as Australia seized a 2-0 series lead, the report said.
Johnson has bowled at speeds above 150km/h, and playing in his home Test should provide even more pace, McDermott says.
McDermott also said Australia’s trio of quicks, Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle, had pulled up fine on Tuesday following their Adelaide success.
He forecast more sustained short-pitched bowling at England, which hasn’t won a Perth Test in 35 years, but the Test great stopped short of describing the tourists’ batsmen as being fragile against Johnson, the report added.
