Mitchell Johnson appeals for a wicket during day two of the third Test. Photo: Quinn Rooney Source: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images
MITCHELL Johnson shapes as a decisive force against England's lower order on Sunday but their top order team-mates have managed improved resistance.
Since Johnson had Alastair Cook hooking in the second innings in Adelaide he has bowled 38.3 overs without taking a wicket, a stark contrast to his 6-16 in 26 balls in the first innings of the last Test.
Australia's bowling effort yesterday did not contain the blistering Johnson star bursts of Brisbane and Adelaide but it was impressive nonetheless as they sandpapered away with good control and constant pressure.
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THE DOMINATORS
Here is some heartening news for Kevin Pietersen following his dismissal to Peter Siddle for the 10th time in Tests yesterday.
Many batsmen have suffered worse at the hands of their bowling nemesis.
Former England captain Mike Atherton occupies three of the top four places on the list of players dismissed by one bowler.
He was snared 19 times by Glenn McGrath, and 17 each by West Indian greats Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. At first glance, the stats don't look great for Atherton but it does make you appreciated how tough it must have been to bat in an era of so many champion fast men.
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CHARGING RYANO
RYAN Harris may have been trapped in Johnson's shadow this season but his Test record remains superb.
When Harris bowled Michael Carberry his strike rate in Test cricket was a wicket every 46.8 balls, the best by any Australian Test bowler for more than a century.
Only the remarkable South African Dale Steyn (41.4) has a better strike rate than Harris among current world players.
Harris bowled splendidly again yesterday.
Ryan Harris was a nightmare for England on Saturday. Pic: Tony Ashby Source: AFP
A NEW HOME?
The magnificent Perth wicket brings a special flavour to cricket but you wonder for how long ...
It's becoming a financial nightmare for cricket grounds to exist as stand-alone ventures and the lure of playing cricket Tests at a new Burswood football ground will be strong.
As quaint as the WACA is, a maximum crowd of 23,000 struggles to cut it in an era when the new ground would hold almost three times as much.
The prospect of vacating the spring-bounced WACA for a drop-in deck excites no-one but, as Bob Dylan used to say, money doesn't talk, it swears and this is very much a matter of dollars and cents.
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HOT STORIES
The players were not the only ones feeling the heat in Perth yesterday.
At one stage the temperature in the open-air press box reached 42 degrees.
Some journalists had to put their laptops in the fridge to cool them down while others had red ears from using mobile phones which were steaming hot even though they had been placed in the shade.
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RISKY RUNS
They call it the Red Bull Run - Kevin Pietersen's frantic singles to start his innings.
Pietersen is renowned for having a can or two of Red Bull before he bats and the theory goes that the caffeine hit makes him a restless man when he first takes guard.
Yesterday he was at it again, charging for the quickest of singles to get off the mark with a bunt to mid-off and having to beat a shot at the stumps.
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FLYING SOLO
AUSTRALIA had a 13th man in England's first innings yesterday - the flies.
English skipper Alastair Cook had to pull away from the line of fire as flies buzzed around his helmet before lunch.
He was jeered by the crowd but escaped without the famous Bodyline taunt received by English captain Douglas Jardine ... "leave our flies alone."
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ON THE UP
PLAYERS can move quickly up the pay scale of Australian cricket these days.
When the last list of contracts were announced before the Ashes tour some judges felt Mitchell Johnson was lucky to be included on the list of Cricket Australia contracts given he was not going to England.
But if he can keep up the form of his first two Tests he will rocket into the top five on the list who have a guaranteed income of close to $2 million a year from Cricket Australia alone.
LARA'S THEME
STEVE Smith's first day century got a strong endorsement from master entertainer Brian Lara.
Lara tweeted he found the innings entertaining which is all the praise you need from one of the greatest entertainers the game has seen.
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