Mark Craig banking on Gabba bounce

Shane Warne took 68 Test wickets at the Gabba, more than he claimed at any other venue. The Gabba is viewed as a fast bowler's pitch, but Warne's theory was that if it seams, it spins. Nathan Lyon has carried on the tradition, with 20 Gabba Test victims at 23.30, his best average of all Australian venues. It is a ground that foreign spinners therefore approach with some buoyancy, only to soon find themselves sinking.

Consider this list of Gabba carnage: Graeme Swann, four wickets at 94.00; Muttiah Muralitharan, two wickets at 85.00; R Ashwin, two wickets at 64.00; Harbhajan Singh, one wicket at 169.00. Notice a theme? Right-arm finger-spinners all. In the past 20 years, the only foreign frontline spinners to average sub-45 at the Gabba have been left-armers: Daniel Vettori, Ashley Giles and Sulieman Benn.

The understated Mark Craig will walk into this Gabbatoir on Thursday, a right-arm offspinner hoping to be more Nathan Lyon than Graeme Swann. Craig hopes that bounce will be a key weapon in his first Test in Australia, and the likely presence of three left-arm fast bowlers in the match - Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult - may offer him some useful footmarks as well.

"One good thing you get in Australia, being a spinner, is you get bounce no matter what wicket," Craig said. "It might not turn as much but as long as you've got some bounce - Nathan Lyon has shown he's a world-class spinner and does very well here in his home conditions.

"The past has shown it's a bouncier wicket with plenty of carry in it. I don't think this will be any different. The bounce, a couple of lefties, so hopefully there's some footmarks to get into later on as the Test wears on, but the main thing is a bit of bounce."

Craig has not exactly spun his way into the headlines since New Zealand have been in Australia, with an aggregate of 1 for 271 from the three tour matches over the past fortnight. But he knows that Australia's naturally attacking batsmen might provide him with some opportunities if their eyes light up at the sight of Craig's tweakers after facing the swing of Trent Boult and Tim Southee early.

"With the big boys running up and bowling there, no doubt they're going to come pretty hard at me," Craig said. "With that brings opportunities to get a few wickets. It's a matter of holding your nerve and hanging in there and I think we'll be right."

The same will perhaps be true of the third seamer, whether Matt Henry or Doug Bracewell, who Australia's batsmen may well view as the weaker link in the three-man pace attack. However, Craig said the "thoroughbreds", as the New Zealanders like to nickname their fast men, had all shown in the past few weeks that they would be hard to get after.

"Those two are world-class, Timmy and Trent," Craig said. "The other seamers that we've got, I suppose batters will look to target them in a way. But the boys we've got at the moment, both Henry and Dougie Bracewell are bowling exceptionally well. Good luck to them."