England v Pakistan

England continue the habit of figuring in grand test matches. After almost every Ashes Test became an affair to remember, this first Test against Pak will also be one to cherish for long - well not fondly, for the English fans but certainly by the Pakis and the neutrals alike, particularly those who are the true conoiseurs of the game.

For this is Test cricket as it is supposed to be isn't it ? The old-fashioned way I mean. As far as the wicket goes - a little bit of help to the seam bowlers early on, lovely batting conditions on Days 2,3 hint of deterioration on Day 4 and back to making things difficult for the batsmen on Day 5. And as far as the game itself goes, this one had it all too - a good start and a collapse by Pak, a determined effort by England, a valiant fightback by Pak, a refusal to give in easily by England and finally a miraculous heist on Day 5 by the home side.

198 was never going to be so easy - historically it hasn't been, and it should not be. In recent times, the undesirably large dominance of bat over ball and wickets that stay true too long had made such totals look very simple as compared to what they were in the good old days. This particular instance was like a bolt from the past. It has been over 12 years since Pakistan has succesfully defended a below-200 total but doesn't it seem just like yesterday when Waqar and Wasim were weaving their reverse-swinging wonders ?