Johannesburg, Feb. 25: Australian cricket selector David Boon has called on fans and critics to be patient about team selection and performance a day before they take on South Africa in the first Test at the Wanderer''s here.

Commenting on main selection issues, Boon said that as far the Wanderer's was concerned, it "has "essentially been a seamers'' wicket."

"Spinners can have a role, but they don''t appear to have had a massive impact in Test matches here. In the past five Tests here, spinners have only taken 10 wickets and three of (the spinners) were Shane Warne, Daniel Vettori and Anil Kumble," he added.

He also said that pace bowlers Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus bowled well in parts.

"I suppose, in a way, we''ve probably got a choice to make there. It''s not going to be an easy one," Fox Sports quoted Boon, as saying.

Hinting at the possibility of all-rounder Marcus North getting a look in, Boon said: "He''s handy and worked for a number of years on getting another string to his bow. He''s shown a lot of younger cricketers that you''ve got to be good at something else. Marcus has done that as an off-spinner."

As far as the state of Australian cricket was concerned, Boon said: " History says the wheel turns. It''s absolute cycles. We''ve seen it with the West Indies and we''ve seen it with England, but I think Australia is in a far stronger position and has a greater base for us to restrict the downward cycle."

"It''s nothing like we experienced in the early ''80s, nowhere near the extent of that, but I still think we''ve just got to be patient," he said.

"The selectors back then were fantastic. When we went through that period they said, ''Right, we can''t keep chopping and changing''. They basically picked 16 or 18 guys and had them in their minds and for the next three or four years, we all played and we knew if we missed out, we weren''t going to be flicked. I think it built everything really well. Through that, it gave Billy (Craig McDermott), the chance to improve as a young 19-year-old bowler. Steve Waugh was very up and down through those formative years but they stuck with him because everybody knew there was talent there. We tried a couple of different combinations. I opened and then went back to three when Tubby (Mark Taylor) came in. We stuck together and I think we''re going to do the same here," the former Australian player said. (ANI)