But when it came to chasing down the runs, Haddin (39 in an opening stand of 110 with Watson) and Michael Clarke, who made a boundary-free 36 in another big stand worth 107, could afford to take a back seat as Watson coped with tiredness and cramp to smash 12 fours and four sixes under the floodlights.

BBC: Shane Watson century too much for England in Melbourne

The South African tail-ender deposited his five maximums over the short leg-side boundary, sharing a ninth-wicket stand of 71 with Naqaash Tahir, who was dropped twice on three by Dale Benkenstein at third slip.

BBC: SPORT | Cricket | Counties | Chanderpaul fails on home debut

He dispatched a Graeme Swann long-hop to the mid-wicket boundary to bring up a half-century stand, and reached his own maiden fifty in his fourth Test from 47 balls, 44 of those runs coming in boundaries.

BBC: England on back foot against Bangladesh in Mirpur