Azhar Ali's faultless 205 was the highest score by a visiting batsman in Melbourne since 32 summers ago, when Vivian Richards arrived at the MCG in career-worst form. Having made 162 runs from his previous 12 innings, Richards groped and clawed his way to a thoroughly unconvincing 208 from 245 balls.
Azhar Ali was on his knees before his first Test century on Australian soil. Ultimately, though, it was the home bowlers whom Azhar brought to their sore and creaking haunches.
As Nathan Lyon's effectiveness as an off-spinner has dwindled, his appeal as a crowd hero has mushroomed.
Four Australian and eight Pakistani players will on Monday find out whether their nerves are strong enough for cricket's most intimidating theatre.
Christmas came early for the fairytale heroes of 2016.
Australia will take a one-nil series lead to Melbourne, but it was Pakistan who skipped off the Gabba like winners. A pale and drawn Steve Smith spoke of not having any fingernails and not particularly enjoying Test matches when they were quite so exciting, whereas Misbah-ul-Haq said he was 'very happy and proud' with a 'wonderful' effort, proceeding to tell the story of the match as if narrating a great victory. Only the scoreboard begged to differ, but few were fooled by that.
Pakistan's mid-match revival in Brisbane has added an estimated 10,000 ticket sales to Boxing Day in Melbourne, and interest in the New Year's Test match in Sydney also grew with each hour the tourists were able to prolong the struggle.
Steve Smith's decision not to ask Pakistan to bat again in the first Test match in Brisbane on Saturday raises the question of whether there is any point to the follow-on rule at all.
Lower-order runs might be an afterthought, but Test series are invariably won by the team whose bottom four contribute more.
Six years in, I still don't know if my instinctive fondness for the BBL proves that I am a renaissance man of catholic tastes and broad toleration, or a pea brain.
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