Lillee and Cooley change Tait's action

Shaun Tait, the South Australian fast bowler, has been instructed by Dennis Lillee and Troy Cooley, Australia's bowling coach, to remain more upright at the crease. Lillee and Cooley counseled Tait to get in closer to the stumps at delivery stride, so that he can maximise his swing.

"I was with Dennis for about an hour [at Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence in Brisbane]. He gave me a few basic things to work on, nothing major, mainly to do with standing taller at the crease, so I'm a bit more upright and shortening my stride," Tait told AAP. "I've also been working on getting closer to the stumps, last year I was getting out pretty wide on the crease, so we've been working on bringing me back into line so I can work on getting plenty of swing."

Tait was quick to add that his bowling style would remain the same: "Not unless you're an absolute cricket fanatic you wouldn't notice the changes, my basic action is the same."

He was also appreciative of Cooley's approach to the alterations in bowling style. "I've known Troy for a few years now, he's a bit of a character and a good communicator, he knows what to say at the right moment to help you as a bowler," Tait said. "He doesn't get too complicated, which is good because us bowlers can get muddled up by thinking too much about various bits and pieces of our action."

Tait will return to action for Australia A against India A in Darwin tomorrow, having taken a modest 0 for 36 from eight overs in the side's loss to New Zealand. "I was quite happy with the way I bowled, but it always annoys me not to take wickets," he said. "It wasn't a great first game, but it is July and I think most of the guys went into the game with the mindset of working on a few things they'd been taught by the coaches, so we were a bit more experimental than usual."