Ahead of the thirst Test in Perth, coach Darren Lehmann says the WACA demands focus Michael Clarke and Darren Lehmann look on during an Australia nets session. THE first ball I ever faced at the WACA was one I can barely remember but will never forget. It knocked me out stone cold. It was bowled by the great left-armer Bruce Reid and hit me in the right temple. I was a teenager play for South Australia against West Australia and James Brayshaw, who later became a great friend, was fielding at short leg and became very worried about my health. I wobbled to my feet and stayed at the crease and learnt a lot about cricket that day, not only from the blow I copped but what happened at the other end. While I was slowly regathering my senses my batting partner Glenn Bishop was pulling the occasional six over midwicket - without a helmet on. It was a candid lesson of how much work I had to do to make the grade. He seemed classes above me. That's the thing about Perth. It challenges you. Adjusting to the bounce is as great a factor now as it was the day I hit the deck a couple of decades ago. The bounce will be a great weapon for our bowlers today but I don't want them to get carried away by it. The short ball has yielded excellent results for us this series and can continue to do so today providing our radar doesn't scramble. There will be an adjustment from Adelaide just as there was in Adelaide after Brisbane. Our bowlers complement each other very well. England have not made over 400 in the last seven Tests, which is a great credit to our attack. The challenge for our bowlers is to keep that going. I am thrilled for Michael Clarke to celebrate 100 Tests, only the 12th Australian to reach that milestone. Apart from his remarkable run-making feats, Michael leads the way in preparation, which is great for us because the guys see what he is doing and try to emulate him. I was vice-captain in his first Test and now coach in his 100th and it has been special for me to see him grow as a person. There's a photo on my wall at home in which the boys were snapped together on a beach in Trinidad in our baggy green caps after we won the series in the West Indies in 2003. Pup is in there looking very young and carrying a touch of puppy fat. Now I just see this super fit athlete who has just got better physically and mentally as he matured. I have always liked his attitude to the game and the fact that he always wanted to be aggressive. Like all great players his game has changed and evolved because he always wants to get better. You learn from the best and he learnt from watching many of the greats in Australian cricket - players like Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting - and picked up some of his attacking style from the likes of Warne and Gilchrist. He has a blend of all those players in him. I have loved the two crowds we have had in Adelaide and Brisbane and I can only hope Perth will be as good. Mitchell Johnson's presence is sure to fire them up. The buzz of expectation that goes around the ground when Johnson takes the ball is truly special. We are not getting carried away. We just want to get back to a consistent level each time we play. We don't look too far ahead. It's been great to have the likes of James Faulkner, Doug Bollinger and Nathan Coulter-Nile along in training while we prepared for the Test. Nathan is relatively quiet. Doug and James are boisterous, eccentric characters who can be heard throughout the dressing room and its great that all three have got a taste of the atmosphere in the team so they can be well prepared when their turn comes.