Ninety-nine problems... but Mitch ain't one

Australia rattled along at a brisk pace on the third day in Abu Dhabi, in much the same way that a car with a busted clutch might rattle: out of control and unlikely to reach the desired destination. At least there was something to get moderately excited about en route. Mitchell Marsh, the newest player in Australia's line-up, showed why the selectors consider him the heir apparent to Shane Watson, missing this series with a calf problem.

Marsh has taken the method route with his Watson impersonation, starting the tour with a soft-tissue injury and now falling just short of a century. Here, he had 87 when his eyes lit up at an Imran Khan full toss, and his miscue found the hands of Rahat Ali at mid-on. The chance for a hundred disappeared, but Marsh had at least survived for more than 100 deliveries. None of his more experienced team-mates managed that.

Of all innings in the series, Australia's first in Abu Dhabi provided the quickest run rate and the fewest overs. They moved at 3.87 runs per over, but for only 67.2 overs. Younis Khan batted for 511 minutes over the first two days; Australia's entire innings lasted 296 minutes. The catchcry of the Australians on the slow surfaces of the UAE has been positive intent, but at times they have been positively intemperate.

Coach Darren Lehmann and captain Michael Clarke have often mentioned the importance in such conditions of being even more attacking than they would elsewhere. The theory is that when the ball doesn't come on, you have to force the pace yourself. To paraphrase Lehmann before this Test began, Alex Doolan was dropped because Glenn Maxwell would be more proactive in moving the score along. He was, for 28 balls.

A makeshift No.3 made to shift to No.4 by the use of a nightwatchman, Maxwell made a breezy 37 before he blew away entirely. Using his feet to Zulfiqar Babar was a good idea. Hitting across the line, against the spin, closing the face of the bat? Not so much. Maxwell was over-bold, and bowled over. It was a low-percentage shot, but selecting him as a top-order Test batsman was a low-percentage move.

Marsh was attacking as well, but generally at least played straight. He had good fortune, but made the most of it. In Dubai he had prodded forward to Babar and was snapped up at silly point by Azhar Ali for 3. Here, he was on 8 when a similar ball from Babar brought a similar shot from Marsh, but Azhar was unable to get his hands to it in time. Sometimes, all you need is that little bit of luck.

Marsh showed that it is not only short batsmen who can be nimble-footed. At 193 centimetres, he decided that he was well equipped to get to the pitch of the ball with his long stride. He did so often, and worked mostly in the 'v' against Babar, his straight bat both bringing him boundaries and reducing risk. He was punishing through cover when the fast men overpitched, meeting the ball off the surface and judging the length well.

"I certainly learned a few lessons from Dubai and the first real time I have faced a spin attack like that with the added pressure of it being my first Test," he said after play. He added that the pressure was a little reduced in Abu Dhabi compared to his debut, where he joked that he had "about 25 of the Marsh clan in the stands watching me".

His innings also confirmed that at 23, he already has the maturity for Test cricket. He is yet to take a wicket in these challenging conditions, and it is easy to imagine Watson extracting more reverse-swing from the dry surfaces and breaking the odd partnership. Marsh the batsman is also still learning; before July he had only one first-class century to his name.

Watson will still be the man for the Australian home Test summer against India, and depending on what Australia decide to do with the changeable No.3 position, he might even slot in there. It is not out of the realms of possibility that Watson and Marsh could figure in the same Test side under those circumstances, but a more likely scenario is that Marsh will keep learning domestically and be ready if and when opportunities arise.

On a day when David Warner slapped a short ball to point, Maxwell swung across the line, Michael Clarke got done by reverse swing and Brad Haddin's shoulder injury prevented him from taking the field for Pakistan's second innings, Australia had plenty of things to worry about. Add it all up and they might find they have 99 problems but, for the time being, Mitch ain't one.