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ESPNcricinfo previews the CLT20 match between Cape Cobras and Trinidad & Tobago

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit03-Oct-2011

Match facts

Cape Cobras v Trinidad & Tobago, October 4, Chennai
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Can the T&T bowlers choke the opposition again?•AFP

Big Picture

After the last-ball and one-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians, and the Super Over defeat to New South Wales, one wondered what Trinidad & Tobago would come up with next. Along with MI, T&T did their best to infuse excitement into a tournament that has struggled to pull in crowds. They finally managed to get it right against Chennai Super Kings to give themselves an outside chance of making the semi-finals. T&T have one last opportunity, against Cape Cobras, to add more thrills to the Champions League. It is a must-win game for both sides.While T&T’s spinners will look to use the slowness of the Chennai pitch to their advantage, they would have also noted that the Cobras batsmen struggled more against the Super Kings’ seamers in their only loss so far.A win tomorrow will put Cobras at the top of Group A and ensure their qualification for the semi-finals. Victory alone will not be enough for T&T, though, as they will need the Super Kings to beat New South Wales to force a three-way tie for the second place.

Watch out for …

Unlike the T&T spinners, there is nothing mysterious about medium-pacer Kevon Cooper but he has gone for just over five runs an over in the tournament. Even fellow Trinidadian Dwayne Bravo could not go after him in the death. Cooper’s 28 at a strike-rate of 280 was the difference against the Super Kings. T&T’s next best strike-rate was 121. Cobras will have to be wary on both fronts.You either get Herschelle Gibbs early or else he gets you. New South Wales didn’t, and suffered. Super Kings did, and got a target that could be chased. Gibbs will go after all the sliders, wrong ‘uns and flicked legbreaks that the T&T spinners try against him. Who will get whom?

Team news

Barring last-minute injuries, neither side has reason to change their XIs.

Stats and trivia

• Not surprisingly, slow and low Chennai is where batsmen have struggled the most. It has the lowest average per wicket, 21.22, and the lowest economy-rate, 6.80, of the three venues used in the tournament
• T&T’s loss to MI was only the 11th instance of a Twenty20 being decided by the smallest margin of one wicket off the last ball.

Quotes

“There is still a remote chance of us qualifying. God only knows what will happen in the last game but we still hold faith that we will qualify for the semi-finals.”
“We are playing T&T at the end, so their spinners are not complete unknowns to us. We have done a little bit of work on how to face them.”

Of all the areas in which Shaun Marsh has excelled in his first two Test innings, leaving the ball unless he has to play it must sit near the top

Daniel Brettig in Colombo16-Sep-2011Of all the areas in which Shaun Marsh has excelled in his first two Test innings, leaving the ball unless he has to play it must sit near the top. Marsh has succeeded in forcing Sri Lanka’s bowlers to bowl at him, opening up bountiful regions for scoring provided he is patient. Speaking after making 81 out of Australia’s 235 for 5 on day one of the third Test in Colombo, Marsh said he had placed a heavy emphasis on his judgment of what to leave.”One thing I’ve really tried to work hard on in my first two games is leaving the ball well, leaving the ball with intent,” Marsh said. “I’ve worked really hard with Tim Nielsen to make sure I’m really on my game out there, and on being nice and positive in my defence. It’s worked well so far.”I guess that has a little bit to do with me playing at the WACA [in Perth] as well. You do leave a lot of balls over there, and I’ve really tried to make sure that if the ball’s not in my hitting area, to let it go, and just try and get myself in.”Marsh’s strength of mind stood out in his 141 on debut, and it was on show again as Australia struggled for runs at the Sinhalese Sports Club. “I knew I had a job to do. I was just looking forward to having another opportunity to do a job out there. Just looking forward to the challenges,” Marsh said. “I’ve really enjoyed my first two innings in Test cricket. Loved every bit of being out there with the boys.”They [Sri Lanka] bowled really well today. The ball was swinging a fair bit and the wicket was a little bit tacky in that first session, a bit two-paced. It was a tough challenge out there today. That’s what Test cricket’s all about.”The day had begun with Australia’s captain Michael Clarke telling Marsh he would remain at No. 3, pushing Ricky Ponting, Clarke and Michael Hussey down the order to accommodate him. It was quite a moment for Marsh, given that he had not ruled out being dropped to make room for Ponting.”I knew someone had to miss out and if it was me, so be it. I wasn’t too bothered, I was just going to take it on the chin,” Marsh said. “When Pup [Clarke] told me this morning [I was batting at No. 3] it was a huge honour. It didn’t really matter where I batted, I wasn’t too fussed, but it’s a great opportunity.”It’s just an absolute privilege to be out there. You don’t get too many bad balls, I’ve worked out. It’s a tough grind, really tests your concentration and that’s what I expected and what I’ve been told [to expect in Test cricket] by the players and my old man [Geoff Marsh].”Sri Lanka’s debutant Shaminda Eranga, meanwhile, said his first ball dismissal of Shane Watson had not been entirely an accident. Watson drove uppishly at Eranga’s first ball in Test cricket and the slight miscue was taken at point, in a scenario Eranga said had been discussed by the hosts.”As a team, we talk about how each batsman bats and we have a fair idea about the weakness and positives of the batsmen. Whether to bowl straight or bowl just outside off stump,” Eranga said. “The first ball I bowled at Watson was outside the off stump and that was something that we had discussed.”Eranga was part of a solid Sri Lankan bowling ensemble that included three pacemen – an exceptionally rare event at home.”I thought to myself that I will do well if I get an opportunity,” Eranga said. “So when I got my Test cap I was really happy and from the moment I got the ball into my hand I just wanted to do my best. I had worked hard at practice and today was a case of letting out all that I had done at training. I had a simple plan and I just did that and the wicket came my way.”

In the very near future a new venture to promote cricket inside the USA will be announced, involving a domestic Twenty20 tournament which it is hoped will attract a raft of overseas players

Martin Williamson11-Oct-2011A new venture to promote cricket inside the USA is to be announced shortly involving a domestic Twenty20 tournament which, it is hoped, will attract a raft of overseas players. Cynics may be forgiven for thinking they have seen many previous ventures come and go but the difference this time is that it is well-funded, professionally managed, and comes in line with the ICC’s declared strategic ambition to target and grow key new markets.The ICC and other boards have for years been eyeing the USA, potentially a massive franchise and sponsorship market that nobody has managed to come close to tapping. But now Cricket Holdings America LLC (CHA), a joint venture between New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), is aiming to do just that.There are two strands to the project. The first is to stage a four-to six-team Twenty20 competition, starting next July, with sides comprising overseas professionals supplemented by local players, much as has happened in the IPL. The second is for CHA to stage international matches inside the USA.The idea was devised between Neil Maxwell and New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan. Maxwell is a former first-class player who is now an agent for players such as Brett Lee and Michael Hussey. He also spent a spell as CEO of the Kings XI Punjab IPL franchise. At the same time NZC, aware of the limits of functioning in a very small market, was looking for ways to expand its boundaries and increase income. Maxwell brought NZC together with USACA and the long-term result was a joint venture between the two. Funding to date has all come from investors in CHA.NZC’s motives were borne largely out of their need to manage risk. “New Zealand Cricket needs to be less reliant on income derived out of traditional FTP cricket and seek to cultivate new income streams,” Vaughan explained.”Growing our financial base allows us to invest into the game at all levels, and to secure our top talent.”The deal means CHA will run a T20 tournament as well as stage potentially-lucrative international matches involving Full Member teams. “The focus is to raise capital and that will generate the licence fee to USACA to give it resources to grow the game,” Maxwell said. “CHA will exploit commercial rights to deliver the annual returns.”The T20 tournament is at the heart of the plans. Several schemes, most not even half-baked, have come and gone. Then two-and-a-half years ago Don Lockerbie, at the time just appointed as USACA’s first full-time chief executive, outlined a grand IPL-style plan but it ultimately floundered on a lack of investment and internal politics. Lockerbie has since departed, but Maxwell believes there are key differences between earlier attempts to tap the market and CHA’s.”In order to attract value this has to feature some of the top players in the world. This time there is a Full Member country involved and it is line with ICC’s strategy. As a result, it has the ability to attract international players while the other ventures didn’t. I am not critical of those people but this has the blessing of the proper authorities. NZC is the lead in this and it is in best interests of cricket in USA.”CHA plans to launch the first tournament next July or August. “The USA aligns with the English season and that’s a far less congested period, so there are better opportunities then. We’re not looking for huge windows … no more than a couple of weeks in the early years. If we just waited for a gap we would get nowhere in the short term.”Asked if that could raise the hackles of other boards, Maxwell said that was unlikely. “All Full Members are aware of what we are doing and no one has stated any significant issue with it. In fact, there are lots of well-wishers hoping that this market is accessed.”While there is likely to be significant interest from a large expat community in the USA, Maxwell admitted the real challenge will be to take the game into the mainstream market. “We have to present a compelling entertainment product as opposed to a straight cricket product. We have to learn lessons from the IPL – good and bad – and we need to take the game to a broad market. This has been done spasmodically previously but we now provide a platform of credibility. To get the wider appeal we have to attract quality players – as football has done with Beckham – but we can’t do that without a competition.”But does the already packed calendar need another Twenty20 competition? “”World cricket doesn’t need it, but it will benefit as a result of opening the US as another cricket market. All cricket will benefit from the USA adopting the game. A new market only improves the value of broadcast rights and encourages the growth of new audiences and ultimately players.”Maxwell said international matches were also key to the venture. “CHA holds the right to stage one-day matches within the US. New Zealand is committed to a number of games each year as part of the commitment to US cricket.”Venues remain an issue. Last year a triangular series involving New Zealand, Sri Lanka and USA was undermined by poor pitches in Florida, and Maxwell admits that has to be sorted. “We have to establish venues and plans are in place to improve existing ones as well as modify other stadia. For the T20 tournament we would be prepared to use artificial pitches if needed. Not necessarily in the first year, but we are looking at options.”Maxwell is aware of USACA’s current problems. “It needs some administrative help and the plus is NZC is renowned for its solid administration and governance structure. We are pushing forward on the basis USACA will be taking necessary steps to support its constitution and stakeholders. We are hoping it’s a short term issue as CHA is a long-term vision.”CHA will be advertising internationally for an experienced chief executive and T20 league commissioner later this week, and at the end of the month there are more meetings in the USA to start planning for 2012. Given the backing this venture has, it may be that after so many false dawns, this might finally be the time when the potential for growth within the USA is finally exploited professionally.

Andre Russell’s five-wicket haul coupled with Danza Hyatt’s unbeaten half-century have given West Indies A the upper hand in the second unofficial Test against Bangladesh A in St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2011
ScorecardAndre Russell’s five-wicket haul coupled with Jonathan Carter’s late blitz gave West Indies A the upper hand in the second unofficial Test against Bangladesh A in St Lucia. But on a pitch where 33 wickets have fallen over three days, the hosts will need to work hard to make the remaining 75 runs they need for victory, even though they have seven wickets in hand.Russell gave his side a dream start to the day, ripping out both Bangladesh A openers for the addition of just one run to their overnight score. His two wickets sandwiched Shuvagata Hom’s dismissal for a duck, lbw to Shannon Gabriel. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals after that. The middle order was able to get starts, but none of the batsmen were able to turn them into sizeable scores. Russell picked up three more wickets, including those of Nasir Hossain (29) and Mithun Ali (26), who added 45 for the seventh wicket, the largest partnership of the innings. Legspinner Veerasammy Permaul then wrapped up proceedings with two wickets in one over, leaving West Indies A needing 214 to chase. Russell finished with 5 for 36, giving him match figures of 9 for 78.The hosts lost two early wickets but after Danza Hyatt and Nkruma Bonner (21) had steadied the innings, Jonathan Carter came out and attacked the bowling, racing to 45 from just 46 balls, including five fours and two sixes. Together with Hyatt, who was steadfast at the other end, he added 66 vital runs, the highest partnership of the match so far. Hyatt was not out on 52 and West Indies A now have an excellent chance of claiming the series on the final day.

Michael Clarke’s elevation to a selection role has added “extra difficulty” to the office of the Australian captaincy, according to the head of the panel, John Inverarity

Daniel Brettig21-Dec-2011Michael Clarke’s elevation to a selection role has added “extra difficulty” to the office of the Australian captaincy, according to the head of the panel, John Inverarity.Though he did not express outright opposition to Clarke’s position as captain and selector, Inverarity was of the view that the arrangement brought about by the Argus review of Australian cricket had placed the incumbent in “a very difficult position”.Clarke and his predecessor Ricky Ponting shared the view that the captain should also be a formal selector, but the saga of Phillip Hughes’ demotion from the Test team, despite his standing as a close friend of Clarke, has placed renewed heat on the position, as Inverarity acknowledged.”It is obviously a very difficult situation, a captain needs to be supportive of his current players and Michael was exactly that,” Inverarity said of Clarke’s support of Hughes. “But the reality is there are other pressures, as it is a difficult situation that Michael is in, a very difficult situation.”The pressures on an Australian captain are enormous, and with the current situation with the captain being one of the official selectors on the national selection panel, it is an extra difficulty, but that’s the situation and Michael needs to cope with that.”Asked directly whether or not he was opposed to the arrangement, Inverarity replied: “That’s a question I’ll defer for the time being, thank you.”Inverarity also said there was concern among the selectors about a Twenty20-dominated schedule that has the potential for a player to be chosen for the fourth Test against India in Adelaide having not played a first-class match for almost eight weeks.”Yes it is of concern, of course it is of concern,” he said. “We’re faced with the prospect of including a new player should there be injury or loss of form, a new player for the Test match in Adelaide, which begins about January 24, and that new player would not have played first-class cricket for six or seven weeks. That is a concern, but that is the situation and that is what we’ve got to cope with.

Howard responds to Inverarity

Australia’s team performance manager, Pat Howard, has said the pressures of Michael Clarke’s role as captain and selector are not unique, and are necessary to the job. Responding to John Inverarity’s contention that the role added “extra difficulty” to the office of Australian captain, Howard said a balance was required.
“Every role everywhere there are difficult balancing acts to deal with, and I think John was just verbalising how difficult it is for anybody, coach or captain, anybody who is close to the team and being a selector,” Howard told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s in AFL, that’s in rugby, that’s in soccer, this is not unique. He was verbalising what everyone has to deal with, it is not easy and requires a real amount of skill. I think Mickey [Arthur] and Michael are doing a really good job on that and they’re embracing it, and I think John is more than cognisant of that as well.”
Refinement of the captain’s role has been suggested, including the concept of having the selectors picking the squad of 12 or 13 then the captain choosing his XI from that. Howard said the present arrangement was not far removed from this.
“The chairman and the selection panel are responsible for the squad’s announcement. The captain and the coach do recommend the XI when they’re playing,” he said. “That’s where that responsibility lies, it was laid out in the Argus review and that is exactly how we work. And that is so it is clear no matter whether we’re in Bangladesh and you’re a million miles from anybody else, or you’re in the middle or England or at the MCG. We just want consistent processes to make sure we know clearly who is responsible for what.”

“From the preparation of a Test team the current situation is not ideal, but that’s the way it is. A lot of us watched the T20 match last night in Brisbane and it was a great success there.”There is plenty that is not ideal in Australian cricket, and another is among Inverarity’s pet peeves. In the West Australian teams of the 1970s that Inverarity captained, every player was obliged to bowl for at least an hour in the nets at every session, encouraging batsmen who could bowl and break partnerships. Inverarity said there was not enough of this in evidence, and indicated he had told the talent managers of each state to encourage their batsmen to bowl as often as possible.”In general all of us on the selection panel hold that view that it is very desirable to have some of your six best batsmen as decent bowlers,” Inverarity said. “If you look at some of the Australian teams when Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh were among the best batsmen and also very handy bowlers.”Allrounders are like gold and also batsmen who are very competent bowlers – Greg Chappell, Doug Walters, Greg Blewett, and here in WA Tom Moody was a prime example. It does make a huge difference if a couple of your batsmen are decent bowlers. We’ve talked to the national talent managers in each state and we’re certainly emphasising that.”Two series since he accepted the role of national selector, Inverarity said he was satisfied with the level of youth and freshness being injected into the team, reeling off a list of names that lengthened with each Test since the tour of Sri Lanka.”In recent times Pat Cummins has come into the side, Nathan Lyon has come into the side, David Warner, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and now Ed Cowan,” he said. “So there are a lot of new names there, a lot of refreshment, and I think that needs to be blended with experienced players and I’m very pleased with the way that’s developing.”

Ramaswamy Prasanna’s painfully constructed unbroken 111-run stand for the seventh wicket with Yo Mahesh helped Tamil Nadu recover from the depths at 139 for 6 to a modest 250 for 6 at stumps

The Report by Nagraj Gollapudi at the Wankhede10-Jan-2012
ScorecardRamaswamy Prasanna helped Tamil Nadu recover from 139 for 6•Fotocorp

About an hour before close of play on the first day at the Wankhede, Ramesh Powar tossed one up on Ramaswamy Prasanna’s off stump. The ball pitched on a length, bounced a little, and drifted away slightly before taking an edge off the shoulder of Prasanna’s bat. It flew to the right of the first slip, but the fielder, Suryakumar Yadav, was for some reason standing a little wider when he should have been clearly fine, considering the pitch was not spinning much. An annoyed Powar skipped in the air, clapping his hands in disgust as he turned back.Prasanna got an easy four and ended the day 19 short of what could be his second century for TN. More importantly, his painfully constructed unbroken 111-run stand for the seventh wicket with Yo Mahesh helped the visitors recover from the depths at 139 for 6 to a modest 250 for 6 at stumps.The Wankhede pitch has never been generous to spinners on the first day. But Mumbai’s slow bowlers faltered with their lack of patience and poor lines. Powar, who usually flights the ball generously, was too slow in the air and offered width. Ankit Chavan, the left-arm spinner, was happy bowling either on the legs or too full. Prasanna and Mahesh used that indiscipline to their advantage as they resolutely rebuilt the innings and played out most of the final two sessions.This was in total contrast to the pre-lunch passage that Mumbai dominated, after TN had lost their own ‘Fab Four’. In the third over of the morning, Abhinav Mukund went chasing an angled delivery from Dhawal Kulkarni that was going wide of the off stump. The moisture in the pitch made the ball grip the surface, but Mukund, the second-highest run-getter of the season, stayed too far back and played away from his body, only to chop it onto the stumps.TN came close to losing a wicket off the very next ball, when Kulkarni nipped one into S Badrinath’s pads, but the inside edge saved the batsman. Badrinath quickly got into the saddle and was severe on Balwinder Sandhu, whom he took for four off-side boundaries in an over. TN crossed 60 runs in the first hour and Sandhu was duly removed from the attack. His first spell read 6-0-38-0.Both Kulkarni and Sandhu, who was playing his third first-class match, initially failed to capitalise on the moisture by bowling short on a pitch where the ideal length was full. In Mumbai’s last match at the ground, Sandhu had bagged a five-for against Punjab in his debut innings by resorting to fuller lengths, and moving the ball both ways.It was an ideal situation for TN to take total control. But for some reason Badri was stuck on 49 for 12 deliveries. Even though he dispatched a Chavan full toss over mid-on for four, the sudden lull in scoring had distracted TN’s most experienced batsman. Sandhu, coming in from the pavilion for his third spell, seamed a ball away from a length. Badrinath needlessly reached out to tap the ball to point, and played on.More trouble followed off the very next deilivery. Sandhu bowled full and swung the ball into Dinesh Karthik, who lunged forward to defend. The ball had hit him in line with the leg stump, and was clearly moving down the leg side. Yet, umpire K Hariharan upheld Sandhu’s appeal. The entire TN dressing room raised their arms in disbelief and let out a collective cry of frustration on seeing the replay over the video analyst’s laptop, which highlighted Hariharan’s mistake.Then M Vijay, who had been moving through the gears, was smartly deceived by Kulkarni, with a ball that pitched on a full length and moved out. Onkar Gurav moved swiftly to his right to finish the catch.This was familiar territory for Prasanna. He steadily erased Mumbai’s illusion of control over the rest of the afternoon. Against Bengal, TN were in a similar position at 140 for 5 with only K Vasudevadas and Prasanna, the last recognised pair, remaining. Prasanna had scored a steady 67, in a 160-run stand for the fifth wicket, which was instrumental in TN reaching 391 and setting up a ten-wicket win.Mahesh, who had 270 runs including two fifties going into the semis, had also been a valuable lower-order contributor for TN, and his presence spurred Prasanna on. Against Delhi both men had stood strong to rebuild the TN innings from 88 for 5, with Abhinav retired hurt. Their 86-run stand for the sixth wicket had stabilised the visitors before Mukund returned to take over and help them take the first-innings lead.Once again today, Prasanna and Mahesh played the fire-fighting role convincingly.

This was supposed to be India’s best chance to win a Test series in Australia. It has taken only eight days of cricket for Michael Clarke’s men to deny them that goal

The Report by Brydon Coverdale06-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Hilfenhaus finished with 5 for 106•Getty Images

This was supposed to be India’s best chance to win a Test series in Australia. It has taken only eight days of cricket for Michael Clarke’s men to deny them that goal. On the fourth afternoon in Sydney, an attack led by Ben Hilfenhaus deconstructed India’s formidable batting line-up, bit by bit, to secure an unbeatable 2-0 series lead with victory by an innings and 68 runs, Australia’s first innings win over India in 12 years.The last such result also came at the SCG, in 2000. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were all part of that side, as they were members of the outfit that lost this time around. It is unlikely they will have another chance to beat Australia at home. For now, India still hold the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and should they win in Perth and Adelaide they will retain it. But their grip on it is as weak as Chris Martin’s forward defence.This was an Australian victory that will be remembered for Clarke’s unbeaten 329. But on the fourth day, it was a second consecutive five-wicket haul from Hilfenhaus that was the highlight. Hilfenhaus completed the success with the final wicket when R Ashwin, who had made a fighting 62, skied a pull and was caught by Nathan Lyon running around from mid-on.The Australians were overjoyed. Clarke especially was thrilled. His declaration on the third day, when he could have chased personal milestones like Brian Lara’s world-record Test innings of 400, was designed to ensure Australia would win the match. They did so with three and a half sessions remaining. Clarke is not the kind of man to harbour any regrets. The win was everything.He knew better than anyone that batting on the SCG surface was not particularly difficult, and as Tendulkar and Laxman put on a 103-run stand his mind might have flicked back eight years, to a 353-run partnership between the same men at the same ground. Fittingly, it was Clarke with his left-arm spin that ended the partnership, and India’s hopes of saving the Test.Tendulkar had reached 80 and seemed to be on track to register his long-awaited hundredth international hundred in the SCG’s hundredth Test when Clarke changed the course of the day. He produced a delivery that was accurate enough to draw Tendulkar into a stroke and turned just enough to catch the edge, which ricocheted off Brad Haddin’s gloves and was snaffled by Michael Hussey at slip.When the new ball arrived, the other architect of that one threatening partnership, Laxman, on 66, fell to a near-perfect delivery from Hilfenhaus, who finished with 5 for 106. The ball angled in and then nipped away to beat the outside edge of Laxman’s bat, clipping the edge of the top of off stump, and the batsman could scarcely believe his fate, confident as he appeared that he had covered his wicket.From there, the wickets fell steadily. MS Dhoni (2) chipped a return catch to Hilfenhaus, who seemed to think it was a bump ball. But the umpire’s decision to have the third official check on the shot revealed it had lobbed cleanly back to Hilfenhaus without touching the ground, surprising some of the Australians.Virat Kohli was lbw to James Pattinson for 9, a fraction unlucky as the ball kept low, but there was no question over the decision. Peter Siddle joined in by removing Zaheer Khan, who had made an entertaining 35 when he slashed hard at a delivery outside off and was taken by Shaun Marsh running back from extra cover.Briefly, Ishant Sharma and Ashwin staved off the Australians with a 42-run stand, but Ishant (11) was lbw to the offspin of Nathan Lyon. That was the only breakthrough of the match for Lyon, who also collected just one in Melbourne and has not removed a top-six batsman since the first Test of the summer, against New Zealand at the Gabba. Though usually loath to change a winning side, Australia might consider replacing him with Ryan Harris at the WACA.There are far more questions for India. For a while it looked like they might take the match into the fifth day as they worked through the first session for the loss of only one wicket, that of Gautam Gambhir. He missed the chance for his first Test century in nearly two years when, on 83, he stood on the crease and reached his bat a long way forward to the bowling of Siddle, who found a leading edge that was snapped up by David Warner at point.Tendulkar and Laxman continued to fight. Laxman played some of his trademark wristy flicks through the leg side, against the fast men and also the offspin of Lyon, and Tendulkar showed off some wonderful cover-drives early in the morning. Shortly before the lunch break, Tendulkar upper-cut a frustrated Pattinson over the sole slip for another boundary.But it was all a big tease for the Indian fans. In a match where three Australians made tons, including one triple-hundred, India needed more than a handful of pretty half-centuries. There are questions over their batting and their bowling as the Perth Test approaches. They have a week to sort out their problems.