12 Jan 2012

WACA pitch to throw up plenty of bounce for third Test

12:47 pm on 12 January 2012

The WACA pitch is expected to come under close scrutiny in Perth with ground curator Cameron Sutherland saying Australia and India can expect to extract plenty of bounce when the third cricket Test begins Friday.

Sutherland believes the wicket will play similar to last year's Ashes Test, when paceman Mitchell Johnson ripped through England with 9 for 82 for the match to inspire Australia to a 267-run win.

Most of the interest surrounds whether Australia will decide to unleash a four-man pace attack or stick with a spinner on the quickest and bounciest pitch in the country.

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said he was pleased to hear the WACA was getting back to the characteristics that defined it in the 1970s and '80s.