Lee sets his sights on Smith

Brett Lee is desperately hoping Australia can retain their hold over Graeme Smith when the first Test starts in Perth, where Lee will be leading one of the least experienced Australian attacks in recent memory. Stuart Clark was due to have surgery on Monday afternoon to remove bone spurs from his right elbow and it meant Lee's fast-bowling support would come from Mitchell Johnson, playing his 16th Test, and the second-gamer Peter Siddle.

There was also a chance the offspinner Jason Krejza, who has one Test to his name, would round out the attack ahead of the allrounder Shane Watson. Their task will be all the more difficult against a South Africa batting line-up so powerful that three of their group are in the top six Test run scorers in 2008.

Second on the worldwide list is the captain Smith, who averages 71.73 in Tests this year but has a dismal record against Australia. Smith has played Australia eight times for an average of 22.25 and has made only one half-century, and it is a trend Lee wants to see continue.

"We know what we're up against with Graeme Smith," Lee said in Perth ahead of Wednesday's first Test. "The reason why we've had success on him in the past is because we've done our homework. We'll be trying our hardest to try and do the things that we've done in previous games to try and knock him over.

"He has got some big scores against us as well, but the first Test I think, especially the first session, is going to sum up the whole series. If we happen to bowl first, then we have to really set the tone. If Graeme Smith gets away, which he's shown on a number of occasions especially against other countries, he can lock himself in for the big score."

The responsibility for getting Australia away to a strong start in the field will largely fall to Lee, who has 56 Test wickets at 29.19 this year but was down on form and speed on the recent tour of India. Lee regained some of his spark against New Zealand on a flat pitch in Adelaide, where he grabbed a career-best nine wickets for the match.

"Personally the NZ series was perfect for me as far as a great lead-in to South Africa," Lee said. "I was really happy with the way I bowled, especially the last game, the second Test in Adelaide. I felt like the ball came out the best that it has in a long, long time."

Clark also struggled for impact in India before finding some form at home, only for his elbow problem to flare up so severely that surgery was required. The operation might have ended his summer but it has opened a door for Siddle, who bowled tremendously fast in the nets on Monday.

"Siddle will definitely play," Australia's captain Ricky Ponting said. "We'll just have to look at the wicket a bit more closely tomorrow. The wicket is still a little bit damp. It was a very hot day in Perth yesterday and I think the groundsmen needed to pump a little bit of water into it."

Australia are unlikely to finalise their starting XI until after they train on Tuesday and while Krejza initially appeared to have the edge over Watson, he could miss out if the pitch proves especially lively. Australia used four fast bowlers in Perth last season only to lose to India when the surface failed to offer as much spice as expected.

The WACA curator Cameron Sutherland said this year's pitch would act differently from the one used last summer, when the preparation was impeded because the ground hosted the domestic Twenty20 final three days before the Test. He predicted bounce and carry, which could help Watson's chances of adding to his eight Test caps.

"It's a lot more life in it at the moment, a lot greener surface [than last year]," Sutherland said. "It probably was like a day two wicket on day one of the Test last year. This year the surface is a lot greener and probably where we'd want it to be more this year."

But after their error in judgment in selecting the attack last season, Australia know they cannot afford to make a similar mistake against the world's No. 2 Test team. And Lee is well aware of how much rests on him to spearhead the bowling effort against a side that is confident of its chances.

"This is probably the most important Test match of the series," Lee said. "This is the one that sets it up. The team that can walk away with the win here, will definitely set the tone for the rest of the summer."