Shane Watson taunted England after the Australia batsman punished their selection gamble with a superb 176 on the first day of the fifth Test on Wednesday.
Watson has endured a dismal series that saw him lampooned for repeatedly getting out lbw, but the all-rounder at least partially redeemed himself as he put England debutants Chris Woakes and Simon Kerrigan to the sword in south London.
Asked if he was shocked to see England’s changes, Watson said: “Yeah I was actually. I was expecting Tremlett to play to be honest.
“He had quite a lot of success against us in the last series in Australia. He bowled beautifully in the Tests he played.
“I was certainly a bit happier to face Woakes and Kerrigan than a guy (Tremlett) who is 6ft 8in and sends balls bouncing around your face. I’m certainly not complaining.
“You could definitely sense he (Kerrigan) was very nervous in those first couple of overs.
“There’s no doubt it’s extremely nerve-wracking, especially if someone tries to get after you in your first Ashes Test.
“You are pretty much exposed out there and you have to try to find a way through it. He will certainly learn from it.”