'Not doing anything special': Michael Neser's five-wicket haul exposes 'great irony' in England struggles

In any other era, Michael Neser would have played a lot more Test cricket for Australia and his performance at the Gabba exposes a "great irony" in England's philosophy.

The experienced seamer took his maiden five-wicket haul on the international stage on Sunday afternoon, proving the Aussie selectors right in their decision to recall him in place of the country's greatest-ever off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Neser had spent three years away from the Test arena after his initial two matches in the baggy green, but was rewarded for his tireless efforts at Sheffield Shield level where he holds a tremendous record of 419 wickets at an average of less than 24.

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The 35-year-old spent countless matches carrying the drinks for Australia and never budged in his desire to perform when called upon.

And perform is exactly what Neser did, taking the crucial wickets of Will Jacks and Ben Stokes on day four after already claiming two caught-and-bowleds late on day three.

"I'm super proud of him," captain Steve Smith said post-match.

"He's been around for a long time now and it's his first five-wicket haul. He has been on a lot of tours and he's been close on a few opportunities.

"He's played a few pink-ball games now and done a tremendous job. It was pretty close between him and Nathan, but we wanted something a little bit different." 

How long Neser's stint in the side lasts this time around remains unclear, especially with the looming return of both Lyon and Pat Cummins for the third Test in Adelaide.

However, his performance on his home deck in Brisbane also shone a light on the dismal display from the rival bowling attack, which struggled to contain the Aussie batters.

It marked the second match in a row where England have only managed to take 12 wickets, with three of their bowlers - Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson and Ben Stokes - conceding more than 100 runs each during Australia's first innings.

Jofra Archer, who was the most economical of the England quicks, didn't have much of an impact in the first innings and his pace only picked up when the game was gone in the second innings, as aptly pointed out by Smith during his late cameo.

The attention has again turned to the Bazball ethos, which has copped plenty of scrutiny from both sides after the hosts took a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Mark Butcher, who played more than 70 matches for England, believes the lack of consistency from the bowling group was clearly exposed in Brisbane.

"The fact that nothing seems to have been learned from one Test match to the next in terms of the batting group and then bowling poorly, in terms of being able to hold a line and length," he told Wisden Cricket following the second Test.

"This is where the likes of Neser and [Scott] Boland come into the conversation, who are not doing anything wildly special and not doing anything you wouldn't see in the County Championship, by holding a line and length on off-stump with the keeper up at times.

"There is the great irony - we've spent all these years completely ignoring anybody that wasn't bowling 85 miles an hour plus and we get completely undone by Michael Neser with the keeper up. You wouldn't read about it, would you?

"If you're not gonna beat a team that does not have Lyon, does not have Cummins, does not have [Josh] Hazlewood and does not have a regular opening pair - what the hell chance have you got when they start to put their strongest team back on the park?

"The opportunity afforded to England in both of these Test matches, but particularly this one with conditions not being as extreme … is extraordinary."