An astonishing victory

Pakistan pulled off what can only be described as an astonishing win as they chased — yes chased — down a challenging 302-run total in the fourth innings of the final Test against Sri Lanka, levelling a hard-fought three-match series 1-1. In what was Dav Whatmore’s final game as coach that brought down the curtain on a two-year stint, Pakistan played attacking cricket and achieved the highest run rate for a team chasing a 300-plus total in the fourth innings. Earlier, Pakistan had levelled 1-1 the Twenty20 series and won the One-Day International series 3-2 to conclude a successful challenge against the Lankans.

Under pressure after failing to win the opening Test despite being in a strong position, going down in the second match and being cornered in the third, Misbahul Haq and his men seized control when Sri Lanka tried to relax on the final morning. The bowlers gave the team a sniff during the opening session, but, for a change, it was the batsmen who raised their hands. Criticised for being too defensive, Pakistan showed their capabilities as an attacking team, pouncing on the half a chance thrown towards them. The team showed its sense of purpose, giving Whatmore the kind of farewell he had hoped for and showed that the side had learnt a few tricks under him. Misbah ended as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the series, fittingly hitting the winning run, while Azhar Ali’s century and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed’s cameo helped the cause immensely. Abdur Rehman was played in just the one match and his performance proved that he should have played earlier too. Junaid Khan was the leading wicket-taker and debutant Mohammad Talha got noticed as well. The final Test, however, raised a set of questions: where did the inspiration to go for the chase come from? Was it the fact that the team had nothing to lose after being 1-0 down? Or that they were about to lose Whatmore? It was a much-needed result and reminded fans as to why the team continue to be labelled mercurial.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2014.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.