Australia batsman George Bailey played down expectations that a series-clinching win in the third Ashes Test in Perth is a formality.
Australia leads the five-Test series 2-0 after convincing wins in Brisbane and Adelaide, thanks largely to the express bowling of paceman Mitchell Johnson. The fast and bouncy WACA pitch is expected to only heighten Johnson’s impact.
“I think it would be a bit naive of us to suddenly think that we had any sort of advantage over them,” Bailey said.
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“We’ve played really good cricket and we’ve had even contributions from so many players, and that’s been really important. But it’s been very much drilled into us that we’ve only won two tests in 12 months.”
Bailey is looking to improve on the 53 he made on the batting-friendly Adelaide wicket in the second Test when he was dismissed just before stumps on the first day.
“It was a bit frustrating really. It was a beautiful batting wicket and Michael (Clarke) and I had wrested the momentum back,” Bailey said.
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“So for me to get out late in the day, it left the innings in a bit of a precarious position. ... But my scores are going up, so hopefully that continues.”