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Johnson bracing for UAE heat

Fast-bowler to seek advice from a former Test quick

Having previously relocated from the enervating tropics of Townsville to Perth’s dry heat, Mitchell Johnson has an inkling of what awaits when the upcoming Test series against Pakistan begins in the desert surrounds of the United Arab Emirates.

But even with his breadth of climate conditioning, Australia’s fast bowling weapon will seek out the wisdom of someone who has endured the extreme weather that the Emirates can produce at this time of the year.

Johnson revealed he is planning to chat with former fast bowler and fellow Queensland native Andy Bichel, who memorably was part of Australia’s only prior Test tour to the UAE in 2002 and is currently in India as the Chennai Super Kings' bowling coach for the Oppo Champions League Twenty20.

In addition to giving his all for his team when batting or bowling, Bichel was renowned as one of the game’s fittest players but even he was no match for the rasping heat and debilitating humidity that was a feature of the two Tests Steve Waugh's team played against Pakistan in Sharjah 12 years ago.

On the opening day of the first Test, Bichel took the ball after Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee's opening spells and, having sent down four overs, began to hallucinate as he succumbed to the heat.

With temperatures in the middle nudging 50C, Bichel was immediately taken to the dressing room where he was placed on a saline drip as the remaining fast bowlers were then deployed in one-over spells.

Temperatures in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where the Tests will be played later in October, are forecast to reach the high 30s and low 40s in coming days, with that weather pattern likely to remain largely unchanged for the ensuing weeks.

"I definitely have to get some information off him (Bichel)," Johnson told cricket.com.au as he recovers from a rib injury that has ruled him out of the Champions League with Kings XI Punjab.

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"The big thing over there is the heat – it’s quite hot but hopefully it's not too bad.

"I did speak to him a while ago when we were (in Brisbane) for some training, but I'll need to get some handy tips.

"He's one of the fittest guys I ever played cricket with at Queensland and his stamina and strength got through a lot of years and he was able to play for a long time."

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While the T20 and ODI fixtures that precede the Tests will be played in the afternoons and evenings, a spokesperson for Cricket Australia confirmed that no specific heat-related preparations will be undertaken by the Test-only players who depart for the UAE on October 5.

The fact that temperatures on the Arabian Peninsula are considered to be no more extreme than those encountered during last year’s Ashes Test in Perth (with heat approaching or in excess of 40C most days) means the players know what to expect.

However, a detailed heat plan has been drawn up by CA medical staff and team management to try and mitigate the effects of the weather that will likely become as much of a talking point as Australia's first Test campaign in more than six months.

Those measures include restricting training to evenings and late afternoon sessions, a supply of cold towels kept on the boundary for all players, significantly reduced ambient temperature in the dressing room and a strict hydration regime to ensure all players are best equipped to cope.

As Australia's foremost fast bowler, Johnson is used to operating in short, sharp bursts so it's unlikely he will carry a bulk of the burden if – unlike the first Test of 2002 when they were bowled out twice within two days – the Pakistan batsmen mount some meaningful resistance.

But he is still keen to chat with Bichel and glean some tips on how to deal with conditions that ensure most local residents remain confined to their homes and air-conditioned businesses during the heat of the day and don't venture outside until nightfall approaches.

"Having someone like Andy who's been over there and experienced those conditions, it's good to be able to go back to those guys and have a chat about it," Johnson said.

"That's part of what we do now in the Australian cricket team.

"We have past players come in and talk to us and give a bit of advice, or a story or whatever for how it was for them."