Pakistan exemplify the "glorious uncertainties" of cricket like no other team. Despondent, defeated and seemingly demoralised after two comprehensive defeats, the whole team bounced back the way only Pakistan can, and bossed the third Test against England at The Oval from start to finish.
It was a remarkable fightback and a true team effort. Every one of the 11 players contributed to the result and can rightly be proud of a job well done. It remains, however, a job only half done, as England remain a formidable unit and another special team performance would be needed in the fourth Test starting today at Lord's if Pakistan are to defy 133 years of Test history and save a series after being 2-0 down.
Such a remarkable reversal of fortunes has only ever happened once in the history of the game: the 1936/37 Ashes, when a Don Bradman-led Australia were 2-0 down yet somehow contrived to win the series 3-2. However, that series was a truly "freak occurrence". The result of each Test was in effect decided on the flip of a coin, as all the five Tests were won by the team winning the toss, the captain simply choosing to bat first and then let the conditions deliver the win.
The odds and the precedents are thus stacked against Pakistan, as they were on the morning of the third Test at The Oval. The bowling attack, as is so often the case with Pakistan, led the way at The Oval, exposing the much-vaunted English batting line-up yet again. English batsmen play on these surfaces and in their home conditions better than any other, yet they were never allowed to get away throughout this series; even those who scored did so after umpteen chances gone begging.
What changed at The Oval was that the wicketkeeper and the fielders did not let the side down and held on to the many chances that came their way. Pakistan's catching in the first two Tests had been atrocious; all key English run-scorers received let-offs from the fielders. Whether it was Morgan and Collingwood in the first Test, or Pietersen, Swann and Strauss in the second, Pakistan's fielding allowed England to post semi-respectable scores.
Yet, despite this hapless display in the field in the first two Tests, England have crossed 300 only once in their six innings in this series. This fact alone is a testament to the talent of the Pakistani bowling attack, and its sheer variety. Of course, the pitch and weather conditions have also played a big part. Kevin Pietersen, who top-scored for England with 80 in the second Test after being dropped three times while at nine, 20 and 36 and receiving an umpiring let-off too, commented afterwards that the pitches for the first two Tests were among the toughest he had batted on in his career.
Pakistan are vastly inexperienced in comparison with most other Test teams, none more so than England. In the second Test, the Pakistan team had played an average of 17 Tests each, compared to 38 for England. Given their callow batting line-up and alien batting conditions in the first two Tests and England's experience at playing Tests at home, it is staggering that had Pakistan held on to all their chances, they would probably be leading the series now. Salman Butt and his men deserve some praise for being this competitive.
Many feared Pakistan's youngsters would lose 2-0 to Australia and then be wiped out 4-0 by England. Afridi's exit after the first Test loss to Australia did not inspire confidence either. However, Butt has risen to the occasion, and the two Test wins this summer, one each against England and Australia, represent an impressive track-record for a raw, young skipper. The nay-sayers are critical of the team's batting, and the frailties in technique, but the young batsmen such as Azhar Ali demonstrated their class at The Oval when they had the wise and experienced Yousuf at the other end to guide and mentor them. It is unfair to be unduly critical of Pakistan's batting in the first two Tests; England, in particular Anderson and Swann, bowled exceptionally well, and the much more accomplished English batsmen would have fared little better but for the Pakistan fielders' unseasonal generosity.
The conditions in the first two Tests over-exaggerated the Pakistan batsmen's weaknesses, and that is no bad thing. Such pitches make for interesting cricket, and provide a real contest between bat and ball. The question remains though if Pakistan's rookie batsmen would be better served in the longer-term by playing their home Tests on the more placid and benign sub-continental type tracks in the UAE. This baptism by fire in difficult English conditions might be character-building, but it can also be soul-destroying.
The nay-sayers also argue, with more merit, that Pakistan won at The Oval because every four or five Tests, they have one flukish game where they hold on to all their chances. The Oval Test has thus set-up the final Test very nicely. Can this inexperienced but remarkably brave and talented Pakistan defy all odds and win at Lord's, to draw the series? Of course, they could quite conceivably revert to type and it could all go wrong at Lord's today and over the next few days; with Pakistan, things can unravel with remarkable speed. But maybe, just maybe, The Oval was finally a sign of better things to come! Yasser Alvi is a cricket writer at PakPassion.net
sports@thenational.ae