Australia’s 15 days of pure Test cricket grind in Pakistan pay off with series win

Of course, it had to end with Pat Cummins. Two stumps dazed and blinking on the ground like the survivors of a big night out. Two arms outspread to the world. One high-wattage smile. There is no great achievement in firing a ball past Naseem Shah, a teenage No 11 who by batting ability should be classed as a No 15. The achievement was everything that came before the end of the third and deciding Test match in Lahore, everything this moment capped off.

Even before the era when Australian teams did not visit Pakistan, Australian teams did not win in Pakistan. Sure, one series in 1959 against a fledgling side from a fledgling nation. Then the 1998 series against the grain, the last visit before the current tour. Those aside, Pakistan trips went a particular way: lose the first Test in Karachi on a spinning track, move to placid surfaces, be held to two draws. Lose the series 1-0. Rinse, repeat.

Even Australia’s 1998 win followed the Pakistani model: a first-up win, this time in Rawalpindi, then two matches of stalemate. So on this long-awaited return in 2022 the Australian approach was a massive throwback. They managed to channel that old style, with 15 days of pure Test cricket grind. But this time around, the moment to take a lead did not come until the very end, deep on the fifth day of the final match. These Australians had to hold their nerve.

Luckily, Cummins has had a charmed run since his abrupt elevation to captaincy on the eve of the recent Ashes. His contributions to this success have been substantial, both as captain and as leader of the attack. There will be times ahead when his decisions are as sound and his bowling as good and things still won’t go his way, but for now he can enjoy the spoils.

Not that the