Johnson 'surprised' by blunt Boult

Mitchell Johnson said Australia were surprised by the substandard performance of Trent Boult at the Gabba and plan to continue piling the pressure on the Black Caps quick in the second Test at the WACA.

The world’s sixth-ranked Test bowler, Boult was ineffective and lacking his usual pace and swing for large periods of the series opener in Brisbane.

He finished with match figures of 2-188, with his runs coming at more than five per over, and Johnson suspected his fellow left-armer may have been somewhat underdone after a build-up that included predominantly one-day cricket.

"I was surprised with the way he bowled full stop," he said. "We talked about him in our team meeting. He generally gets the ball nice and full and he has got good pace.

"In one-dayers you have got 10 overs and you can really go for it.

"He has probably  been a bit underdone. He has come back from injury and he hasn’t had a lot of cricket.

"That was good for us that he has played the way he has. From his point of view he wouldn’t have liked that." 

WATCH: Warner blasts Black Caps in Brisbane

Through the aggression of David Warner initially and then fellow opener Joe Burns, Australia got on top of the Black Caps from the outset of the Brisbane Test, with captain Brendon McCullum conceding afterwards that he and his bowlers had virtually no control over how the innings transpired.

It was a significant blow for the tourists, who arrived in Australia confident in their attack and particularly in their opening pair, Boult and Tim Southee.

But with Boult hit off his lines and lengths and Southee suffering a back problem, New Zealand quickly wilted and face an enormous challenge now to force their way back into the series.

"There was pressure on their two opening bowlers really; they are the two spearheads that they rely on so much, Southee and Boult,” Johnson said.

"Hopefully we can put that pressure on them (in Perth) if Southee plays as well.

"He would have been disappointed (by being unable to bowl in Brisbane), and it was certainly a surprise to us that (Boult) didn’t bowl the way he normally does, so we are expecting him to bounce back and bowl well out here." 

WATCH: 2 minutes and 40 seconds of Johnson thunderbolts

Johnson, conversely, has 42 wickets at 20 in six Tests at the WACA – his most impressive return at any Test venue – and groundstaff have promised a fast and bouncy wicket.

"That’s exciting if that's the case," the 34-year-old said. "That's what we want to play on. We talk about this all the time in the dressing room; all the grounds around Australia have their unique styles about them and the WACA here has that fast, bouncy (nature), the cracks open up, the spinners are involved, you can bat on it really well if you take your time – it's just a great place to play.

"I was really looking forward to (playing at the WACA) after the Brisbane Test and I've always done pretty well here.

"I've had a lot of success and I've always enjoyed playing here.

"It's a home crowd for me now, so all my friends and family are here and their right behind me." 

WATCH: Williamson posts classy ton at the Gabba

One man who will be testing Johnson’s capabilities is New Zealand prodigy Kane Williamson, who was outstanding in making 140 and 59 in the first Test and again looms as the Black Caps’ key wicket.

"You always  want to challenge yourself against the best players and that is how I have always been," he said. "I guess I have learned that from Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee and those guys; you want to play your best against their best players.

"It is a bit of a surprise to me the way (Williamson) played (in Brisbane).

"I hadn’t seen a lot of him. I knew about him. I didn’t realise what a good player he is. He can play all of the shots.

"He looked good in defence and it is a really good challenge, and I’m really looking forward to playing him out here on a ground that I really enjoy bowling on and really test myself against him.

"He is obviously in very good form and he is going to go into this game with a lot of confidence. We can bowl better to him. If we put some good balls on him and use our short ball then I think we are going to be in the game a bit more.

"I think it’s just being a bit more patient. We played into his game a little bit. He is really good off the back foot as we saw and he scored some easy runs through that point region and backward point."