When Alex Carey fell for 93 late on the second evening, Australia had more than 500 on the board. More than enough, right? Not for Pat Cummins. The Australia captain didn’t call it quits; instead, he walked out, took guard and blocked out 10 offies. The message was pretty clear: Yep, Pakistan, we’re here for the long game.

A night’s sleep didn’t change his mind either. Rather than rock up and take the new ball, Cummins put his pads on again and had a bat. While his fast-bowling colleague Mitchell Starc chipped to cover in the first over of the day, Cummins had a proper whack: a quickfire 34 formed the bulk of an unbeaten 51-run last-wicket stand, lifted Australia past 550 and put some more overs into some tired bodies. A mammoth six over midwicket was the final blow before Cummins decided enough was enough. An alpha move to get the day going.

But the mastery, as both captain and bowler, came after lunch. The first session had closed with Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Swepson giving it a rip; there was some rough to play with and the stage seemed set for the tweakers to bed in for the long haul. A wicket for Lyon in the first over after the break – Imam-ul-Haq’s attempt to go over the top resulted in a simple catch to Cummins at mid-on – further suggested that the spinners were about to come into play.

But Cummins, who bowled the second over after lunch, went the other way. With a bit of reverse swing in the air, he took off Lyon and called for Starc to let the ball dance at high pace under the scorching Karachi sun. Azhar Ali couldn’t resist the tempter outside off and Fawad Alam – who didn’t bat, bowl or take a catch at Rawalpindi – was greeted with a vicious ball that hooped in and threatened the toes. Two in two balls left Pakistan on 60-4, but they still had a couple of star names out there, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan.

Again, Cummins stepped up. He gave Starc a breather after a four-over spell and took over to play all sorts of games with Rizwan in a battle that lasted just seven deliveries. One moved away to take the edge, but Steve Smith couldn’t hold on at slip. Another moved back in and Rizwan didn’t play a shot; the umpire’s finger went up but a review went in the batter’s favour. The ball was doing all sorts of funky things and victory for Cummins was inevitable: another one to go away, another outside edge, but the safe hands of Carey this time round.

That, believe it or not, was Cummins’ only wicket of the day. Starc had his fun to finish with 3-29 and Cameron Green thrived as the third seamer, taking 1-23 from his eight overs. In a day for the quicks, Lyon was called upon for just three overs after the lunch break.

Cummins’ handling of his debutant leggie was excellent too. He let Swepson feel his way into the game in the morning session with a defensive field and brought him back when the innings was wrapping up, presenting the opportunity for a Test wicket or two before the close. The reward was the scalp of Babar, who went for the big shot and gifted a simple catch to Usman Khawaja, the man who’d presented Swepson with his baggy green on Saturday. Every little thing went right for Australia.

Pakistan were bowled out for 148, Australia have a lead of 489 and there are two days still to come. Cummins ran the show today like he’s been doing this for years; you’d have forgotten that he only took up the job a few months ago. With his side having cruised past England at home, this tour was always going to be a tougher ask. It showed at Rawalpindi, where a lifeless wicket saw them take just four wickets across five days, one of them a run out. But rather than sulk and curse conditions they haven’t encountered before, Cummins and his side have toughed it out. They’re here for the grind and a reward is surely on the way: a series lead to take to Lahore.