Krejza eyes a bouncy Gabba deck

Years of graft paid off when Jason Krejza detonated in India to take the second-best wicket haul by an Australian Test debutant.

But national cricket coach Tim Nielsen has warned the Tasmanian offspinner the hard work may have only just begun as he strives Down Under to back up his stunning 12-wicket aggregate at Nagpur.

However, Nielsen believes the Gabba could become an ideal launching pad when the first Test starts against New Zealand this week. Statistics hardly back him up.

Remarkably, Krejza has bowled just one over at the Brisbane ground - in his first-class debut for NSW four years ago - and was blasted for three successive sixes by Andrew Symonds.

Yet Nielsen and Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell have tipped Krejza to follow in the big footsteps left by the great Shane Warne and revel in the bouncy Brisbane deck - if the Tasmanian plays in the first Test against New Zealand starting on Thursday.

“The toughest thing for him and for us will be to ensure the expectations, now he’s taken 12 wickets in his first Test, don’t become too large,” Nielsen said.

“He understands how much hard work went into getting that result for himself and he turns up in Brisbane aware of what his role is in the team.”

Warne turned the Gabba into a happy hunting ground during his stellar career and Nielsen said there was no reason Krejza could not enjoy some of the same success.

“Even when the great Shane Warne was bowling in Brisbane his job in the first innings was often to be defensive and help the fast bowlers out and then as the game wore on and the wicket began to spin a little bit he came into his own,” he said.

“If Jason can understand that and bowl well in both innings he’ll have some good success.”

After toasting his triumph in India, there were concerns that Krejza may endure a hangover on Australia’s hard decks.

But Nielsen said: “He tends to come over the top of the ball nicely as an offspinner.

“And his first wicket in Test cricket was Rahul Dravid (the ball) definitely did bounce and spin and caught him on the gloves so it is a bonus for him.

“The really positive thing that we saw over the six or eight weeks in the Indian tour was the amount of improvement that came in JK and that was confirmed in that last Test match.

“I think given the opportunity here in Brisbane he’ll do a great job.”

Mitchell agreed.

“It (the Gabba wicket) will be the norm for the spinner. They will get plenty of bounce and it will start to turn for them late on day four into day five when the footmarks start to get bigger,” Mitchell told News Limited on Sunday.

Krejza is simply sweating on playing.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has indicated that if selectors back a current push to use both allrounders Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson, it would be at Krejza’s expense.

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