Asked to compare the conditions here with that of Down

Under, Cowan said, "It was obviously very different. The big thing today was there was significant reverse swing early, in 12th or 13th over. As an opening batsman, that's something foreign, I guess. Then the slow turn increased through the day. It was good to spend some time in the middle." He added that reverse swing proved to be very good for the Aussies. "Very good for us. Our guys know how to reverse the ball at good pace. The faster you ball, the harder the reverse swing is to play. I think that will play a part tomorrow. Cowan said that the visitors were happy to have spend the entire day today, getting some good batting practice. "At the end of the day, you can only bat for a 100 overs, 90 overs today. And we used up 86 or 87 of them. All the top three had more than 80 balls. Steve Smith had 100 balls. That's a significant time in the middle. No one went on and got a big score, but that is probably the one issue. Everyone from 1 to 11 got to bat, and that's important I think." Asked if Steven Smith has emerged as the front-runner for no. 4 spot in the Australian side, Cowan said, "I wouldn't say he is the front-runner, but he is a batsman back home. He bats at No. 4 for his first-class team. He's got a fantastic first-class record. The other guys are incredibly skilled batting allrounders who bowls fantastic medium-pace. "And Maxwell is an offspinner, who bats particularly well. So Smith, that's where he bats for his state. He wasn't really promoted and I don't think you could say he's a front-runner. "I'm not a selector, so I don't know what the pecking order is at the moment. I think any time in the middle is a good time for anyone. Whether it is Smith or anyone else, the balance of the team will be a discussion for the captain and selectors leading in. Last Test, we didn't play an allrounder, we played four fast bowlers. So who know what the balance is?," he added.