Loosening the shackles

The shot probably wasn't heard around the world, but it would have reverberated through both dressing rooms. As an indicator of what was to follow through the day, it was perfect. Salman Butt, in his third Test and sporting the scars of Perth, pulled the first ball of the morning from Glenn McGrath for a couple of runs. It wasn't well-timed, in fact a little uppish, and it wasn't the emphatic, uncompromising assertion of dominance that a Jayasuriya or a Sehwag would have conjured. But the statement carried a degree of aggression and spirit nonetheless. The shackles within which Australia bowlers have held Pakistan batsmen for so long were not broken, not by a long shot, but they were loosened just a little. And unlike last week, at least we had two willing participants.

In the last 13 Tests between these two sides, Pakistan's average score has been under 24 runs per batsman, and that includes a run-fest three-Test series in 1998-9 in Pakistan. Batsmen of varying quality have hung their bats, providing a line of Australian seamers with wickets and slip fielders with catching practice. And when they haven't, there has been Shane Warne, who with 79 wickets in 13 tests against Pakistan, has exposed the myth that all subcontinent batsmen play wrist-spin well for what it really is. Today was marked by little battles, of the mind, against the self, tradition and the opponent.

Butt's duel in the morning was selfless, on behalf of his team, and he won it resoundingly. As he did against India at Kolkata, in wildly different circumstances, he revealed a composure and intelligence that won't be forgotten in the madness of his run-out immediately after lunch. Till then he had flashed, dashed, slashed and driven his team and himself away from Perth. His contribution was crystallized in Shane Warne's very first ball - a mistimed slog-sweep through square leg for four; the execution wasn't great, but the attitude and the message was. He evoked Saeed Anwar at times, particularly in the suppleness of his wrists and the heaviness of his feet, and never more so than the cover drive off the first ball of Warne's next over.

Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan's conflicts were of a different mould; they were as much against themselves as against any Australian bowler. Both careers draw uncertain assessments; Youhana has played over fifty Tests and averages close to it. His figures are misleading - in 27 tests against Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and India, he had scored only 1262 runs at under 27, and only one century, a futile one in Multan earlier in the year. His shot-making abilities have never been in doubt - the effortless sixes straight down the ground off Warne are testament to that. But his ability against the very best, and under pressure, is questionable. Today, with the added pressure of leadership, he went a little way towards dispelling those doubts.

His battle with Shane Warne was the defining one of the day, and could in the context of this series, have vital implications. Warne has history with Pakistan, his mastery over them has been unquestioned, and bar Salim Malik, he has picked them all off for fun. Today, he teased, he tempted and tantalized, and Youhana responded, first with caution, but then increasingly with that languid conviction that forms much of his allure. When he struck him for two sixes and a four in the 64th over of the day, he was sending a significant message to his teammates. He played him off the back and front foot, and impressively, all around the ground. Until he was stumped, mentally and physically by Warne, this was by far the most valuable of his 12 hundreds.

Khan was also busy conquering similar demons. His capabilities have attracted more concern than Youhana's and he has an uneven record to prove it. But he battled through today, and in particular a tricky spell from McGrath - another historical tormentor - just before tea, to score an 87 that contained enough spirit in it to overshadow any of his six centuries.

The attitude, as suggested by that doyen of British capitalism, Delboy ("he who dares Rodney, he who dares"), brought with it some fortune; Butt was dropped off the third ball of the innings and Younis and Youhana both rode their luck a couple of times. Matthew Hayden would want to forget today in a hurry. But after the turmoil of the last two weeks and for the spirit they showed today - one which they reveal apparently only in dire adversity - Pakistan were deserving recipients.

That spirit and attitude, so fitful in Pakistan, is the hallmark of this Australian side. They showed briefly after lunch and late in the day why they are never out of a game. It wasn't vintage Australia today - catches were dropped, there were fumbles, even overthrows and the bowling, on a pitch accused of being subcontinental in nature, was unusually lackluster. But nobody, certainly not the Pakistanis or the good-natured Boxing Day crowd, maybe even the Australians and the cricket world at large would have minded that; for the first time in this series, there were two teams battling it out on the pitch.