Pak’s mission improbable against Australia worthy of both tears and smiles

Dramatic conclusion to Brisbane Test transformed what had looked like a shocker of a match into something restorative and specialIt felt entirely worthy, returning to the Gabba for a fifth day whose existence defied all expectations. No one could begrudge it, Pakistan had earned their shot. They had batted under lights on three consecutive nights, the third of those going two hours beyond the scheduled close of play. Their target of 490 had been whittled down to 108, they had two wickets left, including one specialist batsman with a century to his name. The improbable mission contained all the elements that make Test cricket’s best days so distinct: perseverance, pressure, drama.It mattered little whether the final stanza lasted two balls or two hours. It gave a chance for old tapes to be dusted off as comparisons of what might be. AB and Thommo, or Edgbaston 2005 — sometimes a name, a ground, a year is sufficient description. We should be so lucky. While the eventual margin didn’t come down to single digits, everyone still felt fortunate. Steve Smith the most, for reasons free of altruism, nearly living out a captain’s nightmare after setting up what should have been a cruise.The afternoon’s inherent goodness was on display next to Pakistan’s rooms through their supporters. These disciples showed up to an empty ground to serve as its voice, their presence and passion a counterpoint to the messy slanging match between Cricket Australia and the players’ union that has pervaded the week in Brisbane.They roared in delight when the chase was on, then did the same when it fell short. “We are so proud!” thundered one as a sweaty and dejected Yasir Shah trudged off after the loss, with several following his lead in repetition. It was perfect.It was a day for aficionados as well. Those who know history realise that ball almost invariably prevails over bat in these chases, but sure enjoy seeing the records rehashed and rewritten. Monday’s 22 overs were punctuated by these milestones and moments.Yasir Shah’s audacity was evident from the start — the tailender upper-cutting Mitchell Starc with a leg in the air to leave an even 100 needed for victory. His partner Asad Shafiq off-drove Josh Hazlewood to the rope, making Pakistan the 20th team to cross 400 in the last innings of a Test. This Pakistan team would pass most of the other 19, starting with the 404 of Australia’s Invincibles at Leeds in 1948 when Shafiq repeated the dose off Starc.When Starc let Shafiq retain the strike with an errant final ball of an over, Smith fumed. The batsman capitalised by carving Jackson Bird’s next ball behind point for four. The requirement was 80 runs. Nathan Lyon became Plan B, but ‘Nice Garry’ came less frequently through the stump mic.Bird’s second slip moved to short midwicket, Yasir edged through second slip. Those four runs took them beyond the 417 England mounted in the Centenary Test, and the 418 that gave Brian Lara’s West Indies the highest successful chase. Pakistan wanted to give that list a new leader. Confidence building, Yasir executed a clip over midwicket that would make most specialists proud, raising the 50 stand.The risk-reward dilemma for Smith when conceding singles became more acute. He said after play that his anxiety really kicked in with 60 runs required, at which point the TV umpire denied Lyon a stumping before Bird failed to get fingers on a Shafiq drive that would have run out Yasir.Lyon nearly pulled down a wordly catch at point shortly thereafter, but that wouldn’t have been on script. An even 50 to go. The pressure claimed umpire Illingworth, giving Shafiq leg before to a ball comfortably going over. Luckily DRS spared decades of lament at the injustice. Matthew Wade grassed a legside edge, continuing Hazlewood’s wicketless journey before the bowler was slayed behind point by Shafiq.The requirement to 42 then, the number required by McDermott and May at Adelaide. They got the 40 but not the two; Pakistan got the two but not the 40. Starc found reserves, a snorter at Shafiq’s throat. The century-maker deserved to go to a ball that good. Yasir’s strange run out was as fitting, given how far his hand had been from conventional.Captain Misbah-ul-Haq kept it simple afterwards. The rearguard, he said, begets belief for what is possible at Melbourne and Sydney, fanciful after the first innings. Smith claimed he never lost faith in his bowlers either, though his face showed more relief than elation.Forget about belief and faith for those two though. This was about those things for everybody. This day was about a match looking a shocker before morphing into something restorative and special. It was a coming together in celebration, summed up no better than by those fans who interspersed the chant of their heritage with “Pakistan Zindabad” and an equally enthusiastic “Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi oi oi!”“Everyone is very proud to be from Pakistan, but we are definitely Australians now as well,” explained the chorus leader, five years after arriving on those shores, as the players shook hands. “I’m devastated, but so proud,” said another standing by. He shed a tear, producing a smile at the same time. It had been a match worth both of them.