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Aus ready to answer pink posers: McDermott

Australia bowling coach Craig McDermott says his charges will need to be flexible with the pink ball, but is confident they'll make it work.

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Source: AAP


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Australia's pink-ball approach to bowling will be determined by the Adelaide Oval pitch but Craig McDermott is confident his charges will make it work.

The inaugural day-night Test is five weeks away but already rumblings of discontent are growing louder.

There are concerns about visibility once the shine wears off - for players, spectators and the firm responsible for ball-tracking technology.

There are fears the balls will deteriorate quickly and behave differently to the red Kookaburras, lowering the standard of play.

Australia's Test stars will be given an insight into what lies ahead when they play the opening round of the Sheffield Shield season, which starts on Wednesday.

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It will be their only pink-ball match practice before the three-Test series against New Zealand starts at the Gabba.

As such there will be a degree of uncertainty in the third Test for left-armers Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc, among the players most unhappy about the experiment.

However, McDermott noted the principles and practices wouldn't change.

"Different balls might swing a bit differently but really the rest of it is very similar," McDermott told AAP.

"The guys will deal with it.

"A lot will depend on the wickets too. If there's grass on them or if they're a bit roughed up, they'll have to be flexible."

McDermott added that every bowler had to be flexible in Test cricket.

"You can get a really good red ball that swings a lot or one that quickly goes out of shape, the wicket's dry and you're trying to go reverse within 25-30 overs," he said.

"It's really going to depend on the conditions. The conditions are going to drive how they bowl with the pink balls."

Cricket Australian remain confident the Test will be a success, having produced a million-dollar carrot to convince players on either side of the Tasman.

Johnson suggested last week that it wasn't ideal for the Test squad to be playing a pink-ball match before two red-ball Tests, especially after the postponed tour of Bangladesh.

McDermott expected Johnson and his fellow pacemen would find their groove in Brisbane before the first Test starts on November 5.

"There's not a major issue going from one ball to the other. Certainly the guys transition between white and red balls very quickly and easily," he said.

"Your lines and lengths don't really change."

Johnson, Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle all rolled the arm over under the watchful eye of McDermott during a red-ball training camp earlier this month.

"They all bowled very, very well," he said.

"They certainly bowled well enough to be playing Test cricket, that's for sure."


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