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In the midst of the All Blacks’ loss autopsies, a great cricketing win went almost unremarked.

- Paul Thomas

It says a lot about the hold rugby has on this country – and perhaps a little about the national psyche – that the All Blacks’ loss to Ireland got far more attention than the Black Caps’ sensational four-run victory over Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. Adding to the discrepancy was the fact that the latter generated one of stories of the year in the form of 30-year-old debutant spinner and man of the match Ajaz Patel, whose five-wicket haul in Pakistan’s second innings turned the game.

As is usually the case with these unruly post-mortems, opposing views were expressed with equal vehemence. The “keep calm and carry on” brigade assured us there was no cause for panic whereas the doomsters argued that if there’d been panic when panic was called for – after last year’s drawn series against the British and Irish Lions – the All Blacks wouldn’t be stuck in reverse 10 months out from the World Cup.