A remarkable eight wicket bowling performance by Australian paceman Glenn McGrath steered his side to a massive 491-run win over a pathetic Pakistan before lunch on day four of the first cricket Test at the WACA Ground.

McGrath took a career-best 8-24 from 16 overs to bowl Pakistan out for an embarrassing 72 in the last over before lunch.

Only two wickets from Michael Kasprowicz (2-4), who finished the match when he took a return catch off Mohammad Khalil (five), prevented McGrath from taking all 10 wickets.

McGrath, who bowled unchanged through the first session, surpassed his previous career best of 8-38 against England on the 1997 Ashes tour.

With the victory target of 564 never an option for Pakistan, Australia completed one of the game's biggest wins to lead the series 1-0.

Kasprowicz ended McGrath's shot at taking all 10 wickets when he bowled eighth man out Mohammad Sami (two) and then jovially apologised to McGrath.

The 34-year-old McGrath said before the match the WACA Ground had not been one of his most productive venues, but that changed when he found himself on a hat-trick after having Abdul Razzaq (one) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (nought) caught behind in successive balls.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting stacked the cordon with seven slips - including fast bowler Jason Gillespie - to give McGrath every chance of completing the hat-trick, but Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal let the next ball pass.

Kamran became McGrath's sixth victim when he edged to the gully and then top-scorer Yousuf Youhana became victim No.7 when he was caught behind for 27.

Pakistan resumed on 1-18 and Salman Butt and Younis Khan rode their luck early, with a series of nicks that went over the slip cordon.

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