The Test series win against Sri Lanka comes at an important time for the national outfit. Prior to this, the last that the team remembers of truly good times must be before the World Cup.The win was due, ultimately, to the combination of new talent and the veteran. This not just symbolised continuity but also reconfirmed the merits of perseverance. After the game, Younis Khan praised the effort of Shan Masood, his partner, in the all-important 242-run alliance in the chase for the 377-run target.This was the highest total ever chased by Pakistan, and just the sixth-largest successful run-chase ever recorded in international cricket. Younis Khan’s 171 is the highest fourth innings score ever made by a Pakistani batsman. Now, interestingly, not only does that put him ahead of national greats like Javed Miandad, Inzamam ul Haq, etc, but behind international greats like only Gordon Greenidge, Arthur Morris, Donald Bradman, and Mark Butcher. No doubt a significant feather in the already busy cap of the old trusted war horse.Pakistan’s 2-1 series win was contributed to by so many players that the occasion adds to cricket’s reputation as a team sport. The happy twist came in the shape of the extraordinary stand between a very determined Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed in the first Test, with Yasir Shah, who is hailed by some as the best leg-spinner in the world today, bringing a much-needed air of mystery and guile to the game. It is extremely important not to let the tide bring in feelings of complacency, as has been known to happen so often with Pakistani superstars. The graph of sports is definitely on a visible downtrend, even those in which Pakistan has dominated the international circuit for years, if not decades, like hockey, squash, and alas cricket.
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