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Dan Vettori and Daryl Tuffey embrace after the Dunedin triumph over Pakistan - Source: Photosport -
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Reports of Test match cricket's death have been greatly exaggerated.
With that wily impostor that is Twenty20 cricket looking a greater threat than ever both home and abroad, it's just as well that the first five-dayer of the summer delivered the kind of glorious spectacle that only Test cricket can conjure.
For five gripping days and 15 absorbing sessions in Dunedin, the Black Caps and Pakistan eyeballed each other like a pair of veteran gunslingers; and it wasn't until the sun was low in the sky on the final day that New Zealand's pacemen drew first and fired the fatal shots.
What preceeded that dramatic last evening was no less compelling. It's hard to recall a Test match that - from literally the first ball to the last - was so rich in drama, intrigue and individual brilliance.
17-year-old Mohammed Aamer's blistering opening salvo on Day One. Ross Taylor's determined fightback and Daniel Vettori's bittersweet rearguard innings. Shane Bond's devastating second spell on Day Three, and the equally spirited riposte by the brothers Akmal. Mohammed Asif's probing spell to shred New Zealand's batting on a gloomy Day Four.
All were key events that precipitated the final day of drama which, let's not forget, took place in the most cordial of spirits, on a fair and sporting wicket, against the wonderfully-picturesque backdrop of University Oval and its surrounds.
Who cares that the Test was slightly-marred by occasionally-defensive field settings on both sides and an Umpire Review System that still has a few kinks to iron out.
Never mind that the cricket was often not out of the top drawer. This was not Australia v India after all; it was the sixth-ranked Test team against the seventh.
And as Twenty20 cricket continues to gather momentum, Test cricket's main defence against being cannibalised by the shorter, punchier brand is to carry on serving up epic encounters like this one.
Shane Bond doubtless sleeps easier at night thanks to his ICL pay cheques, but nothing he achieved in India would fill him with as much pride as donning the whites for a winning team.
The same could be said for the unassuming, hard-working figures of Tim McIntosh and Grant Elliott, for whom victory over Pakistan was their first for their country in Tests. Would they trade the sheer elation of Saturday for the IPL's thirty pieces of silver?
As expected, the Dunedin Test was controlled by two sets of pace bowlers who were palpably too good for the brittle batting line-ups they terrorised. In one corner, Pakistan were led by the youthful exuberance of Aamer and the forceful Mohammed Asif, returning after a two-year drug ban.
In the other corner, it was Bond who took main billing; ably supported by two streetsmart deputies in Chris Martin and Iain O'Brien.
The former charged in all Test with purpose and determination that belied his advancing years, and his searing lifter to remove Mohammed Yousuf on the final day may well have been the turning point of Pakistan's run chase. O'Brien recovered bravely from a first innings pasting to snare two vital wickets in the final session; dislocated finger and all.
In fact, save for the third afternoon when the Akmal brothers cut loose, it's hard to remember New Zealand's pacemen bowling with such control and cohesion.
But it's Bond's comeback that was the feel-good tale of the Test. The lift he gives his teammates and the excitement he generates among the home fans in has not been witnessed on these shores Hadlee's heyday. His absence in Wellington is a major blow.
Which brings us to the Basin Reserve on Thursday, which is fittingly set to become just the 11th Test ground - and just the second outside England and Australia - to host 50 Tests.
It's important for all concerned that the series continues to ride the wave of interest that it's currently on. Lingering first Test euphoria and a passable weather forecast should encourage healthy crowds along to the Basin.
Pakistan certainly will not lie down. They'll have seen enough in Dunedin to believe they can overturn the 0-1 deficit; just as England did here two summers ago.
The series is alive and humming and - Bond or no Bond - the second Test has the makings of another ding-dong scrap to the wire. Here's hoping it delivers another occasion worthy of the beautiful game.
