The son of the legendary fast bowler Jeff Thomson was in action yesterday at the site of some of his father's most terrifying performances more than 30 years ago, bowling in the nets at the WACA Ground to the Australian team.

Today, he will tear into India's champion batsmen on the eve of the third Test.

This is not simply a novelty act. At 28, Thomson Junior remains ambitious, and having rid himself of a series of injuries that beset his skyscraping 203-centimetre frame, he still dreams of following in the footsteps of his father by cracking state and international cricket. The examples of such late bloomers of Ryan Harris ring loudly in his mind.

Thomson is a new arrival in Perth, having quit the Brisbane grade arena for a fresh start at club side Subiaco Floreat. He has already made a mark in the west, taking an impressive five-wicket haul in first-grade before Christmas before giving the likes of Test captain Michael Clarke a workout yesterday.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, his father Jeff believes he would be perfect fit for Twenty20 cricket should the Big Bash League in particular come looking.

''He'd be ideal for the Twenty20 stuff. I'm not just saying that. He can bat and bowl -- he just needs a break. He was not getting a look-in in Queensland, but he's trained hard and there's plenty of time left. He hasn't played that much because of the injuries he's had,'' said Jeff.

Matt Thomson moved to Perth this summer for a secondary reason -- to be schooled in batting by former Australian captain Kim Hughes, so determined is he to fine-tune that part of his game and make himself attractive as possible for higher-level suitors.

He has had no shortage of mentors in the past. His father's great partner in crime, Dennis Lillee, has also had a hand in his development, a priceless opportunity he is grateful for. He insists, though, that the old man did not teach the classic Thomson technique to him.

''I think it's just a genetic thing,'' Thomson Junior said. ''I just bowl the same as he did. He swears he didn't teach me how to bowl like that. He said his old man bowled the same as what he did. Both my brothers bowl the same as well -- they don't play cricket but when they bowl they do it the same way. I've been lucky. I've been taught by guys who I wouldn't be able to be taught by otherwise so I'm lucky in that respect.''

Thomson trained with the Queensland squad when he was younger but, stifled by injury, he drifted off the scene. Like his father once did, he is making a living as a landscaper but in an environment when young Australian fast bowlers are facing battles with their bodies, is continuing to work feverishly on his cricket.