Australia's bowling plans to bore out New Zealand's ace batsman Kane Williamson are unlikely to work.
Veteran seamer Peter Siddle said yesterday that Australia must match Williamson's patience. He's hit centuries in each of the first two tests in Brisbane and Perth and is up to world No 2 batsman in test cricket, equal with Australian skipper Steve Smith and behind only South African star AB de Villiers.
"I don't think he will read it for a start," coach Mike Hesson said of Williamson and the Aussie plan.
"Kane will just do the same thing he does normally, watch the ball and just see what happens. Many sides have tried different things against Kane.
"Some have been more successful than others. Kane will just go about his work as normal."
Williamson is averaging 78.3 in tests since the start of 2014. Ross Taylor, his double century hitting partner in their 265-run stand for the third wicket in Perth, struck three centuries in as many tests against the West Indies in the 2013-14 season.
Williamson, who is a good innings away from taking his average to 50, the mark regarded as a benchmark distinguishing the very good from the outstanding, can emulate it at Adelaide but he's unlikely to lose any sleep over it, according to Hesson.
"He's a really unflustered sort of character. He never gets too far ahead of himself so you'd never know whether he got a hundred in the last game or missed out.
"He's playing well, he's in a good pace."
Hesson is happy with the progress of the other batsmen in the test lineup.
Opener Tom Latham ''has got a number of starts and no doubt he'll want to kick on.
"Martin Guptill got a really good hundred the other day [against a West Australian XI in Perth] and played the way he and I want him to play.
"So I think hopefully he could be ready for something big."
Captain Brendon McCullum went on a slogathon at Perth, hitting 49 in 28 balls before being stumped on the charge. Hesson defended the innings, which was his only practical pink ball rehearsal in a game situation before the test starts.
"Everyone deals with warm-up games a little bit differently don't they. You try and get different things out of them.
"Brendon was obviously keen to do a bit of work on his short ball and he certainly got plenty of opportunities to do that."
