Maybe Shivnarine Chanderpaul reads the paper, maybe he doesn’t. But a couple of hours after comments from Ricky Ponting and Peter Siddle that Chanderpaul might not cope with the short ball on the bouncier Australian pitches, the left-hander was in the nets at Allan Border Field being peppered by bouncers.

There was no danger – it was tennis balls flying from the bowling machine - but tiny Chanderpaul was increasing his reaction time by standing a couple of metres outside the crease. His footwork was sharp and he was generally untroubled, mostly ducking but also playing the occasional pull. He looked ready.

After 121 Tests Chanderpaul knows what he is doing and has proved himself a man for any surface. The Australians are desperate to find a weakness because he batted for more than 18 hours the last time the sides met in a three-Test series.