World Test Championship: Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins star with the ball in frantic end to opening day

At the party they always get to host but never get the chance to play in, English cricket has again been left to gaze on enviously on that old Australian cut-throat firm of Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc and Smith, who have been lording it at Lord’s for years. First up, in this third World Test final to be staged in England, it had been that old nuisance Steve Smith, in all his familiar idiosyncratic glory even while suffering with a dose of the flu, marking himself the all-time overseas top scorer in all Lord’s Tests with a knock of 66 that took his total to 591 in 10 innings. Er, Bradman only got 551 in eight. And even if that other ‘old firm’ of Smith and Marnus Labuschagne looked as if it could be on its last legs after perhaps one unconvincing struggle too many from the junior partner, the self-styled ‘home of cricket’ was then left to witness the familiar excellence of Australia’s three-pronged mean, green, pace machine doing its stuff. Even the egg ‘n bacon-tied MCC brigade in the Long Room, on their very best behaviour this time, couldn’t help but applaud the ‘big three’. After all, who knows how long Hazlewood, Cummins and Starc can keep up the sort of heroics after eight years working in perfect harmony at the Test coalface? “It’s unbelievable. Me and (Cameron) Greeny were watching from the slips and gully and it looked like every ball they were going to make something happen,” said an admiring Beau Webster as he got a close-up view of the trio who’ve never been on a losing final in an ICC event when they’ve all been on the same side. Their combined 4-34 off a combined 21 overs felt like a rinse-and-repeat show to infect every English fan’s nightmares. Mean, tight and destructive, the three now have 959 Test wickets between them - and counting quickly. Could they actually be better than ever? Starc was just as menacing as usual while being even less expensive; Hazlewood, coming off a full IPL season, looked fresh and immensely sharp. Cummins was just Cummins, leading from the front, probing relentlessly. “They’ve done it for a long time, haven’t they?” smiled Smith. “Today was no different. They all bowled really nicely.” After Australia had struggled to 212, they knew they had to hit back sharpish. “When you know you’ve only got a couple of hours to bowl in the night, you can probably give a little bit more knowing you can have a break afterwards,” said Smith, praising Starc’s 2-10 contribution in particular. “I looked this up today and kind of forget every now and again, Starcy, he’s played 97 Tests with this one, which is a hell of an effort for a fast bowler. He’s just relentless with his body, a tough character. He bowls through a lot of pain and things like that. “The three have been great, and hopefully they can come again in the morning and make a few early inroads.” Webster, the ‘Slug from Snug’, will take his place back in the catching cordon and just enjoy. “They’re a luxury we’ve had for a lot of years and it’s not going to last for ever, but we are still in a good place,” mused the Tasmanian. “And the less overs I have to bowl the better!”