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Pressure builds on Boult for WACA Test

Australia hope Kiwi paceman Trent Boult will put in another wayward display during the second Test at the WACA Ground, starting Friday.

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Source: AAP


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Australian pace ace Mitchell Johnson wants star batsman Kane Williamson to nick off, and he hopes speedster Trent Boult will again crumble under the pressure of spearheading New Zealand's attack in Perth.

Boult struggled in NZ's 208-run loss in Brisbane last week, returning figures of 1-127 and 1-61 while fellow paceman Tim Southee battled a back injury.

With Boult and Southee largely ineffective in the first Test, Australia racked up totals of 4(dec)-556 and 4(dec)-264 to set up the dominant win and a 1-0 lead in the series.

The pressure will be on Boult and Southee to rebound in the second Test starting on Friday at the WACA Ground.

Boult only returned from a stress-related back injury last month, and Johnson hoped the left-armer would again feel the pressure from Australia's new-look batting line-up.

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"It was certainly a surprise to us that he didn't bowl the way he normally does," Johnson said on Wednesday.

"From his point of view, he wouldn't have liked that. He would have been disappointed.

"He generally gets the ball right up there nice and full, and swings the ball.

"(Southee and Boult) are the two spearheads. They're the guys they rely on so much.

"Hopefully, we can put that pressure on them again here."

Boult's importance to NZ's attack was on display earlier this year when he snared 13 wickets at an average of 24.84 in the two-Test tour of England.

Although Boult struggled to fire in Brisbane, the same can't be said of Williamson, who racked up scores of 140 and 59 to further enhance his batting credentials.

Johnson hadn't seen much of Williamson in the flesh before the first Test, and he admitted he was somewhat surprised at just how good a batsman the Kiwi was.

Australia have since tweaked their master plans in a bid to send the 25-year-old packing early.

"He's a very good player - very difficult to bowl to," Johnson said.

"But if we build up enough good balls on him, he's going to be like any other player and hopefully nick off."

Kiwi quick Neil Wagner said the lack of swing generated by Boult and Southee in Brisbane hadn't set off alarm bells.

"That's just the nature of the game. That's Test cricket. You're going to get conditions when the ball swings and conditions when it stops swinging," said Wagner, who is in line for a recall for the WACA Test.

"Everyone is pretty confident in their own skill and know what's required. If it doesn't swing, we'll try a few different things and, if it comes off on the day, it'll come off very well."


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