Sydney, Dec. 8 : Australian cricket coach Tim Nielsen has admitted his pacers need to improve their ability to reverse swing, and is confident of an improved old-ball performance against South Africa.

Nielsen concedes Australia''s pace bowlers have been sluggish in identifying the precise moment to abandon conventional swing for reverse, and have paid a heavy price.

"We will play the conditions as they present themselves, and change our plans quickly if we need to," Nielsen said.

"I think we were too slow to adapt in India. We took too long trying to get the ball to swing conventionally, rather than just accepting what was happening and working on the reverse. Reverse has become a normal mode of attack in cricket now,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying.

Australia''s seamers will be relied upon heavily in Perth, and even more so if spinner Jason Krejza does not play.

Nielsen is confident Krejza would recover in time for the Perth Test, but admitted the spinner''s lack of cricket since his debut in Nagpur was of concern.

Nielsen has been particularly aggressive when assessing the South Africans in recent weeks, but reasoned his stance served as a rallying cry for his younger squad members.

"I don''t want people thinking that because we''re a young team we can''t take it to them," he said. (ANI)