While many Australians grumbled at the perceived biased commentary by Sky Sports pundits during the winter Ashes series, Vaughan gently chided his new colleagues at Nine for the same reason. "I realised when I joined Channel Nine just a couple of games ago the Australians don't have a Barmy Army. It's because this lot [at Channel Nine] is their Barmy Army," he told the Lord's Taverners breakfast. "I've never seen anything like it when a wicket falls to an Aussie. It's like being in the Kop at Anfield [when Liverpool scores] . . . even the producer goes up with the Australian players! They're meant to be impartial in there!"

Lehmann is deservedly receiving a lot of the credit for the reversal of Australian fortunes over the past three weeks and his man-of-the-people status was inflated further on the flight from Adelaide to Perth. While the players and most of the support staff settled into business class for the journey on Tuesday, Lehmann sat back in cattle class because of the shortage of seats up front. Not only that but he was jammed between two other passengers in a middle seat.

The notorious WACA security goons have struck again. Every year dozens of beefy doormen patrol every inch of the venue in the days leading up to the Test, even though you need a special pass just to get in. The problem is they clearly know very little about cricket. Andy Bichel found that out on Thursday when he was denied entry to the Australian training nets. Even the Tonk's friendly tip to the walkie-talkie wielding gatekeeper that Bichel was not just any punter – but a Test selector – didn't do the trick and the former Australian seamer was ushered away. Not to be outdone, another of the security heavies, acting as if it was a G20 Summit, later refused to let chief selector John Inverarity into the Australian dressing room. Even the fact Inverarity's name is on the WACA scoreboard, as a team of the century member, didn't help him. Thankfully the only bouncers worth worrying about from Friday will be Mitchell Johnson's.

Broadly speaking

Merv Hughes, the man with the best match figures for a Test in Perth, has warned Australia to beware Stuart Broad this week. Hughes, who claimed a record 13 wickets against the West Indies at the venue in 1988, believes Broad has the weapons to make an impact on the fast and bouncy WACA Ground wicket. "You'd have to be very wary of Stuart Broad in those conditions," Hughes said. "He's going to pose the biggest problem there. He's 6'5, can bowl quick and he can get the ball in the right areas. We saw in England how dangerous he can be." Hughes expects England, the former world No.1, to lift for the third Test, which they cannot lose if they are to keep the series alive. "Everyone's jumping way ahead of themselves. We're 2-0 up in the series and England have proved in the last five years they are a good side," Hughes warned. "You expect good sides to bounce back and good players to bounce back.

Bowden bounces back

He's baaaack. Demoted from the ICC's elite panel of umpires in June, the game's most colourful official, Billy Bowden, makes his return in Perth. The Kiwi is not the most popular umpire with players so it will be worth watching how he goes standing in the third Test.