THEY came. They drew. They conquered. On a glorious sunny day at The Oval, Pakistan may have merely levelled the series but they left with the aura of champions. The relief of drawing this tough series was evident in a roundly applauded lap of honour by the Pakistan team on Independence Day.

The Oval is a happy hunting ground for Pakistan dating back to their first Test win in England in 1954. That victory was inspired by Fazal Mahmood’s wickets. Hanif Mohammad, the Little Master, was also part of the 1954 team, and his death during this Test match was uppermost in the minds of Pakistan’s players. The win on Sunday and Younis Khan’s double hundred were thus dedicated to the Little Master’s memory.

Pakistan’s greatest drawn series were in the 1980s against the West Indies, the best team the world has ever seen. This series is worth consideration in that debate, though. England are a strong team, fellow contenders for the world’s number one spot, and hard to beat in home conditions.

The last six years of exile in the UAE is the toughest period in Pakistan cricket’s history. It is simply remarkable that the Test team remains competitive. Indeed, this was one of the best performances ever by a Pakistan team on English soil. It was the first time Pakistan managed to avoid defeat since 2001, and that was only a two-Test series.

After a thrashing at Old Trafford and a disheartening turnaround at Edgbaston, Pakistan were half expected to capitulate at The Oval. There was no such thing as they displayed high skill and formidable commitment to defeat England by ten wickets.

The match belonged to Younis, whose brilliant double hundred gave Pakistan a first innings lead of 214. The innings was remarkable on two counts. First, Younis had seemed horribly out of touch, adopting an exaggerated version of his leaping, acrobatic technique. Here, he was much steadier, taller, and emphatic, reminding the world of the quality that made him Pakistan’s leading Test run scorer.

Second, after nurturing Asad Shafiq to his own classy hundred, Younis was faced with the prospect of batting with Pakistan’s unreliable tailenders. What followed was a masterclass in batting with the lower order.

The achievement, though, owed as much to Pakistan’s lower order, who demonstrated great commitment and self-restraint to support Younis’s excellence. One after the other, Pakistan’s bowlers defended stoutly and ran enthusiastically to seize control of the game. How well the lower order bats is a measure of the spirit of a team.

England were then prised open by Wahab Riaz, whose pace and bounce did for Alastair Cook, England’s talismanic captain. Just as Younis had rediscovered himself, so did Yasir Shah. After two indifferent games, the first barren patch of his Test career, Yasir was a threat again with subtle variations, finishing the series as he began it with a 5-wicket haul.

Pakistan and England were well matched teams, and the series result is a fair reflection of the contest. England will now consider tours of Bangladesh and India, concerned about weaknesses in their top order, namely Alex Hales and James Vince. They also lack a quality spinner, which should mean a recall for Adil Rashid.

Pakistan, meanwhile, emerge stronger than they arrived. The courage to end Mohammad Hafeez’s run in the Test team allowed the possibility of a new opening partnership of Azhar Ali and Sami Aslam. With Asad promoted to number three, the future of Pakistan’s batting is taking centre stage.

The pace attack, without reaching the glories of yore, performed well enough in bursts. Sohail Khan was a surprise package, and may prove useful again on the livelier tracks of New Zealand and bouncier surfaces in Australia. Wahab lived up to his billing as a strike bowler, although he’ll want to turn two or three wickets into five more regularly. Mohammad Amir had a workmanlike series, showing flashes of brilliance and generally having little luck with catches dropped and umpiring decisions. His time will come again.

This was a well led Pakistan team. The new coach, Mickey Arthur, played a big part in that and his approach seems good for Pakistan. But the moral and visible leadership of this team was with Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis. This was their tour, their combat mission, their signature statement. They provided the spirit, the resilience, and the moral compass for their younger charges.

A more determined Pakistan team has rarely visited these shores, and a more serenaded one has rarely departed them. A draw has rarely been a bigger success.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2016