(REUTERS) – Australia completed a record 13th consecutive victory win over a Pakistan side who self-destructed against the gentle off-spin of Marcus North at Lord’s.
North took six for 55 to join team-mate Shane Watson on the Lord’s bowling honours board, a pairing nobody could have predicted when the first match in a two-Test series started on Tuesday.
His figures were the best ever returned by an Australian spinner at Lord’s.
Pakistan, set a record 440 to win, succumbed for 289 before tea on the fourth day to extend a miserable losing streak which started in 1999. Australia’s 150-run victory put them one ahead of Sri Lanka who have won each of their 12 Tests against Bangladesh.
Shahid Afridi, captaining his country for the first time in a Test, was particularly culpable yesterday.
Afridi lasted only four balls, dabbing two through the slips before playing a wild shot across the line off North. The ball flew high to the mid-wicket boundary where Michael Hussey took a well-judged catch.
Pakistan started the day in reasonable shape at 114 for one with Salman Butt, whose application in both innings has shown up his team mates, on 58.
Butt took 18 from two overs from Mitchell Johnson and proceeded serenely to 92 with a series of flashing drives and deft cuts when Ricky Ponting opted to bring on North instead of his specialist spinner Steven Smith.
North struck immediately when Butt over-balanced trying to reach his first delivery down the leg-side and Tim Paine dived forward to complete the stumping.
Umar Akmal (22) lofted a six from North over long-leg which sailed close to a slumbering spectator but then played a careless cut off North three balls before the lunch and the ball flew straight to a grateful Michael Clarke at slip.
Debutant Umar Amin gave a glimpse of his abilities with 33 before he was smartly caught at short leg by Simon Katich and North accounted for the irresponsible Afridi in the same over.
Kamran Akmal joined brother Umar by driving North for six during a brisk innings before he was bowled by Smith for 46 with a delivery which hurried through his attempted pull shot.
Ponting moved Hussey to mid-wicket where Mohammad Aamer (19) obligingly hit the next delivery from North to give the off-spinner his first five-wicket haul in a Test match.
North finished off the innings when Danish Kaneria (2) hit the first ball of his 18th over to Ponting at short-cover.

AUSTRALIA first innings 253 (S. Katich 80, M. Hussey 56 not out)
Pakistan first innings 148 (S. Butt 63; S. Watson 5-40)
Australia second innings 334 (Katich 83, B. Hilfenhaus 56 not out)

PAKISTAN second innings (o/n 114-1)
I. Farhat c Watson b Smith    24
S. Butt st Paine b North    92
A. Ali c Paine b Hilfenhaus    42
U. Amin c Katich b North    33
U. Akmal c Clarke b North    22
K. Akmal b Smith    46
S. Afridi c Hussey b North    2
M. Aamer c Hussey b North    19
U. Gul c Ponting b Smith    1
D. Kaneria c Ponting b North    2
M. Asif not out    1
Extras: (b-2, lb-1, nb-2)    5
Total: (all out, 91.1 overs)    289
Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-152, 3-186, 4-216, 5-227, 6-229, 7-283, 8-285, 9-287.
Bowling: Bollinger 12-4-43-0, Hilfenhaus 16-8-37-1 (nb-2), Johnson 18-5-74-0, Smith 21-5-51-3, S. Watson 6-0-26-0, M. North 18.1-1-55-6.