Australia vs Pakistan 2016: 2nd Test, Day 1 - 5 talking points

#3 Bird cements his spot

Bird picked up the key wickets of Younis Khan and Misbah

Australia's first change seam bowler in Tests has been a talking point for the past two years. With Siddle going down with injury frequently and the retirement of Johnson and Harris leaving a void in the pace attack. Pattinson and Cummins are also injury prone and Mennie didn’t take his only chance with both hands.

Bird did a fine job in his comeback Test at Adelaide against the Proteas and found his groove in Gabba by ripping through Misbah twice. Today he was a bit off at the start, bowling too full and failing to find movement. But he came back with a roar to clean up Pakistan's veteran batsman, Younis Khan with a perfect off-cutter.

The dismissal seemed to have woken up his inner spirits and he bowled an inspired spell thereafter, dismissing the Pakistani skipper yet again after finding his inside edge which was smartly pouched by Maddinson and short leg. The twin wickets meant that Bird has once again answered the selector's call when needed.