Foes turn friends as cricket's spirit prevails

There was a spontaneous moment at the start of Australia's ultimately successful victory chase against Pakistan at the SCG today that silently symbolised the strong affinity that has grown between the once bitter rivals.

Under the leadership of charismatic captain Shan Masood, the Pakistan players formed a guard of honour to congratulate retiring Australia opener David Warner as he prepared to embark on his ultimate Test innings.

But as Warner walked between the two columns of cricketers, who then broke ranks to extend their goodwill through a series of backslaps, keeper Mohammad Rizwan and rookie allrounder Aamir Jamal stood their ground.

Rizwan then began gesturing to Warner's opening partner Usman Khawaja, who was trailing some 20 metres behind his mate so as not to steal the spotlight, and the Pakistan pair ensured Islamabad-born Khawaja was also afforded an honour guard, albeit in miniature.

The trio then broke into broad grins before heading to their respective posts to get Australia's second innings underway, but those few seconds epitomised the respect and the rapport that has grown over recent years.

It wasn't always thus.

Australia-Pakistan clashes have carried their share of bad blood in the past, most graphically the 1981 Test at the WACA Ground in Perth where Dennis Lillee and Javed Miandad clashed mid-pitch, leading the former to swing a kick and the latter to retaliate by threatening to hit Lillee with his bat.

Then there was the incendiary incident during Australia's 1994 tour when Shane Warne claimed then-Pakistan captain Salim Malik offered the leg spinner US$200,000 to bowl poorly on the final day of the opening Test at Karachi.

Australia would undertake just one more Test tour to Pakistan after that controversial campaign (in 1998) due mostly to security concerns, until the historic tour led by current skipper Pat Cummins in 2022.

And it was that series as much as any comparable recent event that has re-set the relationship to the point where it's now seemingly as strong as any in the international men's game.

"Pakistan are a team we've always played against in an awesome spirit," Cummins said in the wake of Australia's clean sweep of the three-match NRMA Insurance Series.

"Out in the middle I think both teams play quite similarly, play hard but everyone's ready to joke with each other and have a bit of a laugh and not take it too seriously if the moment doesn't require it to be.

"Looking back at that series a couple of years ago in Pakistan, that was great.

"There was a lot of love shown between the two sides and it looks like it's carried on a bit this series."

But as Pakistan's team director Mohammad Hafeez, revealed in his post-match media conference, the camaraderie hasn't been restricted to on-field exchanges such as Masood presenting Warner with a signed team playing shirt to commemorate his Test farewell.

Hafeez, the former Test allrounder, claimed he and other Pakistan Cricket Board officials have been involved in discussions with their Cricket Australia counterparts during this visit to deliver further tangible benefits from the friendship.

He cited an agreement drawn up between the two parties that will see developing men's and women's teams from both countries potentially undertake tours in coming years to further their respective familiarity with starkly differing conditions.

The possible long-term advantages of such a bilateral agreement can be seen in the performances of Aamir during this latest series.

The 27-year-old finished his maiden Test campaign as Pakistan's leading wicket-taker (18 at 20.44) and third-highest runs scorer (143 at 28.6) having gleaned invaluable insights into Australia pitches during a stint with Sydney Premier Cricket Club Hawkesbury in the summer of 2016-17.

"We had a meeting with the Cricket Australia chairman (Mike Baird) and CEO (Nick Hockley), and they agreed on an exchange program because we wanted to have more visiting teams from Pakistan – under-19, Pakistan A and women's teams to visit Australia on a regular basis," Hafeez said.

"And similarly we can offer the same exchange programs for these three teams in Pakistan.

"So that will help both the teams in the future, and we will see that very soon.

"The agreement will be signed and the objective is that we come here on a regular basis, and they come to Pakistan on a regular basis to develop the game within the two countries.

"We need to practice more in these conditions, and they need more practice in Asian conditions.

"This is a very, very good moment, the boards want to work with each other for the right reason."

While Australia can point to their 1-0 series win in Pakistan two years ago as evidence their capacity to play on the subcontinent has improved, the same can't be said for Pakistan's prowess down under.

Their 0-3 result over the past three Tests stretches their losing streak in Australia to 17 consecutive matches stretching back to 1995 when they scored their most recent triumph here, a 74-run win for Wasim Akram's men at the SCG.

Hafeez identified his team's slipshod catching as the starkest difference between the sides, with Abdullah Shafique's miss off Mitchell Marsh in Melbourne and debutant Saim Ayub's howler at slip off Warner on Thursday the unmitigated lowlights.

But as Cummins pointed out, the 0-3 scoreline did not reflect the reality Australia were significantly pushed in the Boxing Day Test, and then forced to fight back on the third evening in Sydney after conceding a 14-run first innings lead before securing the whitewash.

"I thought it was a great series," said Cummins, whose team regained the world number-one Test team ranking from India during the course of the SCG win.

"I feel really happy we got on the right side of a couple of tight moments, but it could have gone the other way also.

"I thought Pakistan were high quality.

"Test cricket, there's nothing harder than playing away from home, the conditions are always so different but I thought they played really well.

"The MCG could have gone either way, and if it wasn't for that hour of power last night this one could have gone the other way as well.

"A great series, really well fought and I thought played in great spirits as well."

NRMA Insurance Test series v Pakistan

First Test: Australia won by 360 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 79 runs

Third Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi