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Aussie openers prepared for Perth scorchers

Australia's players discuss the forecast 40-degree temperatures for the first Test against New Zealand, Perth’s first-ever day-night Test

With heatwave weather forecast for Perth this week, David Warner has indicated he won’t be scampering between wickets in the manner that characterised his historic Test triple-century.

Temperatures in the Western Australia capital are tipped to reach 38C on Wednesday, a day prior to the first day-night Domain Test between Australia and New Zealand at Perth Stadium, and then hover between 39 and 41 for game's first four days.

As a result, Warner has foreshadowed conservation of physical and mental energy will prove as crucial as shot selection and that the sprinting exploits that gained almost as much attention as his remarkable run-scoring feat against Pakistan in Adelaide a week ago will be toned down.

It was revealed the 33-year-old covered almost 21 kilometres during his 554-minute innings, with data showing he engaged in almost 150 high-intensity sprints between the wickets while compiling his unbeaten 335 runs.

Warner's speed and stamina was also a stand-out feature of the 154 he scored in the summer's opening Doman Series Test amid high humidity in Brisbane.

The fact the Test is a day-night match means the final session of each day will be in played in the cooler evening temperatures, but the left-hander has warned that the blistering heat during the day - play will begin at 1pm local time – means he won't be pushing himself to similarly extreme limits.

"You have to be careful," Warner told reporters at the national under-19 championships in Perth on Sunday.

"People were talking about the way I was running between wickets in Brisbane and in Adelaide, but you won’t get better conditions (than those) to be able to do that.

"If you look at the weather here, it's going to be very difficult to do that.

"I'm sure it's going to be difficult to concentrate for that long in that heat."

The forecast heatwave has revived memories of the 2013-14 Ashes Test played at the WACA Ground, across the Swan River from the newly built stadium in Perth, when temperatures topped 40C.

Warner recalled the impact that burst of heat had on members of the Australia team, who took several days to fully recover according to the opening batter.

But he and his spin-bowling teammate Nathan Lyon claimed that the dry, desert heat that is a staple of Perth's summers is nowhere near as enervating as the stifling humidity they endured on their two-Test tour to Bangladesh in 2017.

Image Id: 4B345972D362491EA883F77B8F3FB273 Image Caption: Warner and Peter Handscomb in Bangladesh in 2017 // Getty

"I go back to Bangladesh when me and Pete Handscomb were batting together – I think it was 31 degrees … but they actually said it (felt like) 45," Warner said.

"Come an hour into our innings, we were walking ones.

"It was extremely hot, it was very difficult, and we couldn't really get a lot of fluid into us.

"I look back at an Ashes series we played here, and it was 45 degrees.

"That was one of the hottest days I've ever played in Australia and everyone was absolutely cooked, and I remember that hurting a lot of us for the next couple of days after.

"Those conditions are going to be quite similar (this week).

"We're starting in the peak of the day as well, so it's all about the preparation."

Lyon also joked that he was already seeing text messages from his fast-bowler teammates advising him to prepare for long stints at the bowling crease this week, with the quicks suggesting the high temperatures might mean they are reduced to operating in "three-over spells".

More serious will be the work that goes into ensuring all players are properly hydrated before each day's play, and each session begins.

Warner said the early afternoon starts in the pink-ball Tests will also enable players to spend the mornings undertaking recovery programs, either at team hotel swimming pools or one of Perth's nearby beaches.

However, as his opening partner Joe Burns noted, the effect of the scorching sun is likely to be even more pronounced on the New Zealand players who arrived in Australia on Saturday having enjoyed temperatures in the low-to-mid 20s for their recent Test match against England at Hamilton.

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Burns and Test team vice-captain Travis Head were members of the Australia A team who played in a pink-ball warm-up game against Pakistan at the Perth Stadium last month, while the pair and their Test teammates wrapped up the day-night match at Adelaide Oval last week with a day to spare.

By contrast, New Zealand last experienced a day-night Test against England at Auckland in March last year, when they famously bowled out their rivals for 58 on the opening day and completed victory by an innings and 49 runs.

But Burns believes it is likely to be the heat, rather than adapting to the day-night format, that represents the greatest challenge for Kane Williamson's team in the wake of their 1-0 series win against England in recent weeks.

"I'm looking forward to it," the Queensland opener said on Sunday when asked about the daunting forecast.

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"I come from Brisbane, so I'm used to the heat and the humidity.

"It's a lot hotter for the Kiwis I reckon, coming from New Zealand.

"But if you get dehydrated, hopefully it means you’re doing something well out there (in the middle)."

Beat the heat but still enjoy the cricket! Twilight tickets for the Domain Test in Perth are just $25, granting entry for the second and third sessions of the day. Click here for more