Australia 253 (Hussey 56*) & 4/100 ( Katich 49*, Aamer 4/72) Pakistan 148 (Butt 63, Watson 5/40)

There have been few more consistent punch lines in Australian cricket than Shane Watson’s bowling. During the Ashes it seemed at times like Ponting brought him on for light relief. And from the reaction of some today, the same sort of limp bowling display was expected. Shane Watson may not be universally adored like he seems to crave, but he is brilliant at proving people wrong. His batting has gathered increasing respect in world cricket, but today it was his bowling that Australia used.

After Hussey and Bollinger annoyed the Pakistanis in the morning, Australia had a total of 253. They started slow with the ball, and Pakistan could practically smell the lunch of Lamb Masala and Roasted Guinea Fowl as their debutant – Azhar Ali who had batted well – was caught behind by Tim Paine for Ben Hilfenhaus, the second all Tasmanian wicket of the morning. At that stage Salman Butt had done well, and Pakistan looked well set.

After lunch that all went wrong. Umar Amin – the other debutant – lasted only 3 balls when he was out to Johnson. Then Watson took over. When he came on Umar Akmal showed him so little respect that for the first three balls he took a few steps down the wicket at Watson, on the fourth ball Umar played back and was plumb. Next over Umar’s brother Kamran didn’t quite play a shot, didn’t quite leave the ball, but was out LBW just the same. At this stage Watson hadn’t gone for a run yet.

Australia had it all their own way, but Afridi was to come. He scored 14 off his first 5 balls, in was the Afridi of old, probably because he hadn’t played a test match in 4 years. He smashed Watson for a couple of sixes and just when it looked like he was going to change the momentum of the match he hit one straight to mid off to give Watson his third wicket. From there it was inevitable as Pakistan’s tail starts at number 8. Douggie Bollinger took two wickets himself, but no one, not even the bad light and occasional rain could stop Shane Watson from his destiny, a five wicket haul at Lord’s. Watson was perhaps the perfect pace for this wicket, more gentle swing than extreme pace, and he did bowl well.

Salman Butt was the only Pakistan batsman who looked truly comfortable with the swinging ball. Butt plays his best cricket against Australia, he averages 43 against them (31 in all test cricket) and has two hundreds and now 3 fifties. It looked like he was going to carry his bat through the innings , but not even he could hold off Watson’s medium paced swingers and he was the 9th wicket out.

Then, as if they hadn’t seen enough of Watson, he came out to bat. With the ball swinging less than the first day, Watson looked far more comfortable and he and Katich got Australia off to the exact start you want after the opposition collapse, an uneventful one. Just when Watson was probably day dreaming about the chance of adding a hundred to his five for – not because he was close to scoring it, just because I suggest he always dreams of that – he was out chasing a wide one. Then Ponting and Clarke left balls – Clarke bowled and Ponting unlucky to be LBW – and Michael Hussey last one ball as Umar Gul was on a hat trick.

The surreal nature of Watson’s bowling was almost trumped as Mitchell Johnson came out as a nightwatchman one ball after Hussey had gone out. If he was already padded up, why would he not go out before Hussey? Surely the two minutes it took for Hussey to get out there and return weren’t enough for Johnson to pad up. He made it to stumps by only facing 6 balls as Katich took the bulk of the strike and the bad light came in just before 7. 15 wickets fell for the day, and Australia ended it in a better position than they started, but those 4 late wickets weren’t in their dream scenario.

Australia ended the day over 200 runs in front with 6 wickets in hand, if the ball doesn’t swing tomorrow, they could add at least another 200 to that, if it does, I’d imagine way less.

Regardless, Shane Watson’s name will be added to the new neutral test honours board in the visitor’s change rooms at Lord’s. Neither Ricky Ponting or Shane Warne are on any of the honour boards at Lord’s.

Jarrod can be found at cricketwithballs.