A nightmare for teams from the subcontinent

Australia's 17th win in a row is generally being considered a fait accompli, and while the Indians might want to contest it over the next five days, there's good reason for the home team to believe they have an excellent chance to go 3-0 ahead: in 17 Tests here since 1990, they have won 12 and lost just two, both to West Indies. During this period, they've averaged 43.91 runs per wicket when batting, and taken their wickets at a cost of just 25.77 each. Overall, they've won 20 times here in 34 Tests, with seven losses and as many draws.

The other reason for the Australian optimism is the record of their rivals at this venue: India have lost both their Tests here, the last one - in 1992 - by 300 runs. In fact, all teams from the subcontinent have struggled at the WACA: out of the nine Tests played by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, they have lost each and every one of them. The margins of defeat indicate the games were no-contests - apart from India's two-wicket loss to a second-string Australian team in 1977-78, the rest have all been comprehensive victories for the home side.

Most of the Australian batsmen have relished the pace and bounce in Perth. Among the current lot, five batsmen average more than 50. Matthew Hayden has been ruled out, which is just as well for the Indians: he averages more than 56 here, with a highest of 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003. The only failure has been Andrew Symonds, who has managed just 66 runs from four innings.

The pace and bounce here has confounded most overseas batsmen, and the table below indicates how difficult it has been for the top orders of visiting teams to string together meaningful partnerships. The average stands for three of the top four wickets for overseas sides has been less than 30 runs per wicket. The Australian batmen, however, have had no such worries, with average partnerships of more than 50 for each of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth wickets.

The pitch here has always been known to favour pace, but the overall figures indicate that fast bowlers haven't all done well either: since 2000, they average more than 36 per wicket. The spinners have struggled even more - each wicket has cost them 42.27.

While conditions have generally favoured pace bowling, few overseas bowlers have learnt the trick of bowling here. The Australian fast bowlers average 25 runs per wicket, but overseas bowlers concede more than twice that number per wicket. Among the 11 bowlers who have taken more than 20 Test wickets here, ten are Australian, but the only overseas bowler leads the pack: Curtly Ambrose's 24 wickets in three Tests came at an outstanding average of 12.91, and a strike rate of less than 27 deliveries per wicket.

Among the Australian bowlers in the current line-up, Brett Lee is the only one to have played more than a Test in Perth, and he has enjoyed the conditions here, taking 33 wickets in six Tests.