Heatwave conditions to put Aussies and Kiwis to the test in Perth
New Zealand is bracing for a heatwave in Perth for the pink-ball Test, with temperatures tipped to soar past 40C as the new arrivals attempt to acclimatise as quickly as possible.
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Some like it hot and some don’t have any choice. Like the Kiwis, who are about to be hit with the full force of scorching 40C days for the pink-ball Test in Perth.
Coming from mild summer days over in New Zealand, Kane Williamson’s side will be thrust straight into the frying pan.
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Australia has flagged the prospect of morning recovery sessions at the beach during the day-night Test in a bid to deal with the heat, and hope the New Zealanders have packed their jandals.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be a lot hotter for the Kiwis I reckon coming from New Zealand,” said Australian opener Joe Burns.
“I come from Brisbane so I’m used to the heat and humidity. If you get dehydrated, hopefully it means you’re doing something well out there.”
Forecasts are predicting the mercury will push into the high 30s or even early 40s for the first three days of the Test starting on Thursday.
Virtually all of Australia’s training this week will take place at the old WACA, giving New Zealand the run of Perth Stadium in a bid to adapt with no warm-up matches on Australian soil.
New Zealand opener Tom Latham admits it will be a bit sweatier than Mount Maunganui.
“We had some hot weather at the Mount, but I wouldn’t say it was 40C,” Latham said.
“It’s one of those things we’ve got to try and get used to over the next few days and try and acclimatise to the heat.”
Australian stars David Warner and Nathan Lyon declared they would draw on their experience playing Test cricket in extreme conditions in Bangladesh a couple of years ago to mentally and physically overcome the heatwave.
“I’m sure it’s going to be very challenging to concentrate for that long in the heat. I go back to Bangladesh when me and Pete Handscomb were batting together and it was 31C but they were saying it was actually 45,” Warner said.
“An hour into our innings and we were walking ones. We had a day of an Ashes Test over here (in 2013-14) when it was 45C.
“These conditions are going to be quite similar. We are starting in the peak of the day as well. Obviously it starts with a lot of hydration and needing to get a lot of fluids into you.
“As a batsman it’s probably a bit easier than bowlers having to come back and do a lot of high-intensity running through their spells.
“It’s about recovery as well. We’ve got the mornings of our games to recover, go into pools, go to the beach and flush your legs out.”
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Lyon is bracing for the prospect of bowling more overs to help captain Tim Paine rotate his pace attack through debilitating temperatures.
“They tell me to warm up and bowl from one end when it’s 40C so they can bowl three-over spells,” the spinner said.
“It depends if they pull their fingers out or not (as to how much I’ll bowl).
“I always prepare the normal way to bowl as many overs as I’m required to do.
“If the boys are bowling well in partnerships then hopefully we’ll get the job done.”