Thoughts turn to home as Butt celebrates victory in fine style

Less than 20,000 watched the contest between Pakistan and Australia, which kept spectators glued to the edge of their seats.

A rip-roaring fixture had just about everything: a remarkable opening day in which Australia were bowled out for 88, their seventh-lowest Test total, inspired by some magnificent work from the Pakistan seamers.

Then the Australians fought back on an intriguing second day, Pakistan tumbling from 148-3 to 258 in reply following Shane Watson's career-best 6-33.

On a third day that fluctuated like the great British weather, Australia were dismissed for 349 in their second innings to set a nuisance target of 180.

And in a riveting denouement on Saturday morning, Pakistan crept home by three wickets to record their first Test win against Australia since 1995.

All that was missing from a splendid advert for five-day cricket were those Pakistan supporters who failed to turn out in anticipated numbers.

Their absence proved a disappointment to Yorkshire County Cricket Club, who lost 750,000 in potential ticket sales but who gained credit for their handling of the neutral fixture.

Just as it is often said of Manchester United football club that you can never write them off until the fat lady sings, so it is true of the Australian cricket XI.

Not even Ricky Ponting's men, however, appeared likely to deny the Pakistanis going into day four.

Salman Butt's side required only 40 more runs for victory with seven wickets in hand and were hot favourites against opponents who had beaten them in their previous 13 Test meetings, and who were targeting an eighth successive Test win against all-comers.

But Australia still claimed four wickets in the 65 minutes it took Pakistan to apply the coup de grace, Umar Gul sparking jubilant celebrations when he cover-drove the winning runs off Mitchell Johnson to the foot of the East Stand.

Butt, who enjoyed a fairytale start to his captaincy career after replacing Shahid Afridi, dedicated the victory to the people of Pakistan.

"I want to dedicate this to all the people back home," said Butt, whose team cannot play international cricket in their own country due to security concerns.

"We'd love to have won the match in front of them, but, unfortunately, we're not able to play in Pakistan at the moment.

"We had some good support inside the ground and I would like to thank everyone who came along.

"But we need to tell the people back home that we still remember them and that we'll hopefully be back playing cricket in front of them soon."

Butt admitted to one or two nervy moments inside the dressing room as Pakistan neared a nail-biting win.

Resuming on 140-3 in glorious conditions, they lost Azhar Ali and Umar Akmal caught behind off Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus respectively for the addition of only 10 runs.

Pakistan then slipped to 161-6 when Hilfenhaus had Shoaib Malik brilliantly caught by Marcus North at cover from a full-blooded drive.

But Australia's hopes were effectively ended when Kamran Akmal was given not out after slashing Johnson to gully, where Michael Hussey claimed a low catch that television replays failed to confirm, which would have left Pakistan 175-7 – still five short of victory.

When Akmal did finally fall to the Johnson-Hussey combination, the left-hander claiming a brilliant diving catch in the same position, Pakistan were 179-7 and the fat lady was warbling.

For Australia it was a case of what might have been, with two dropped slip chances not helping their cause.

Early on day four, Michael Clarke spilled Shoaib Malik off Bollinger which would have left Pakistan 154-5, and Watson grassed Imran Farhat on four off the same bowler the previous evening, the batsman going on to make 67.

Ponting accepted full responsibility for a defeat triggered by his decision to bat first on the opening day.

"There's no doubt that had a big impact and the buck stops with me," admitted the 35-year-old, who was almost certainly playing his last Test in England at the ground where he made his first Test hundred.

"Looking back, I was surprised how much it seamed on the first day because the pitch was dry.

"I was pleased with the way we got ourselves back into the game because we gave ourselves an outside chance of forcing a win. But we were always playing catch-up after day one."

Ponting, whose side won the first Test at Lord's by 150 runs, has failed to secure a Test series win in England after back-to-back Ashes defeats.

But he insisted this latest setback would have no bearing on this winter's Ashes Down Under.

"The start of the Ashes series in November is a long way off yet, and we're not focusing on that at the moment," he added. "All this defeat does is highlight some of the things we're not doing well with our batting and bowling, and we need to put them right before we face England."

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