They were long odds on England even surviving the fourth day of the final Test and taking it into a fifth, never mind battling their way to a draw and with it a win in the series. The odds were not wrong.
Once the brilliance of Younis Khan had given Pakistan a significant 214-run first-innings lead and Yasir Shah, on the missing persons list since Lord’s, was found safe and well and restored to his former potency, the visitors were always favourites to win the match which they duly did 20 minutes after tea, by 10 wickets to spark celebrations and a lap of honour.
There was resistance from Jonny Bairstow, who batted with easy panache and good sense for 81, and from Moeen Ali, who made 32, though the latter was unable to become the second Mo of the day trulyto excel on not-quite-so-super Sunday.
A last- wicket stand of 32 between Steven Finn – who left the field with a hamstring strain during the Pakistan second innings – and Jimmy Anderson managed to extend England’s overall lead to 39 before the last wicket fell 35 minutes before tea. Yasir, who had taken only four wickets in five innings since his 10 in the first Test, finished with five for 71.
It took Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali just over 13 overs to knock off the runs without being parted, Azhar launching Moeen into the pavilion for one last six to seal things. It seems as if someone, somewhere has been doing that all summer: they used to say that about Vic Marks.
Of the man of the match there can be little doubt, for Younis played an innings of rare beauty. Nor could the England man of the series be anyone other than Chris Woakes, who has raised his all-round game to new heights. The award for Pakistan went to Misbah-ul-Haq, who made an emotional hundred at Lord’s and led the side brilliantly. There can surely be no quibbles on any of those.
The result means that, aside from the 2006 abandonment and forfeit, England have not beaten Pakistan at The Oval in 49 years and that the ICC rankings, ever in a state of flux, it seems, will be even more so when next they appear once Australia have finished in Sri Lanka and the West Indies series with India is done.
If all the talk before this match had been about England gaining No1 status, premature situation as it might have been, it will not be them on top of the podium but one of Pakistan, India or, indeed, Australia, who have just lost in Sri Lanka.
In broad terms it has been by no means a bad summer for England who have lost only two of their last nine series. A Sri Lanka side in a transitional stage were well beaten and now they have shared a series with a very competitive Pakistan team.
Once England had overwhelmed them at Old Trafford to reverse the memorable Pakistan victory at Lord’s it was hard to envisage the visitors regrouping, let alone do so to the extent that they managed at Edgbaston, where they had England in real trouble at one stage, and now at The Oval.
Credit goes to all the Pakistan players, of course, but in particular to Misbah who has managed to unite the team and imbue a collective sense of purpose that has not often been seen among all the factional infighting that has characterised some Pakistan teams of the past.
But for all that, England are no further to solving the problems that existed at the start of the season in terms of key batting positions. Woakes has been a total revelation, rising from fringe player to a fulcrum of the side.
The enforced retirement of James Taylor and injuries to Ben Stokes have not helped but, given opportunities as a result, none of Alex Hales, James Vince and Gary Ballance has done sufficient to justify further investment totally. The overall result reflects where England are in their development. This is the time of year for prospective England players to start making a case for themselves.
With lunch 10 minutes away, only the wicket of Ballance having fallen and England within 21 runs of making Pakistan bat again, there was even the outside chance of setting a tricky fourth-innings target. Within nine overs the game had been all but settled.
First Moeen, who had batted so fluently for his first-innings century and was doing so again, poked defensively at Yasir outside off stump and the wicketkeeper, Sarfraz Ahmed, took a smart catch.
Then, after the interval, came two wickets in successive deliveries from Wahab Riaz. With Wahab bowling left-arm round the wicket, Bairstow played defensively to short midwicket and looked eagerly for the possibility of a run before stopping in his tracks.
The non-striker, Woakes, had committed too far, however, and Wahab, beetling over to the other side of the pitch was able to collect the ball and, turning off balance, throw down the stumps. It was an alert piece of fielding from a bowler not globally renowned for his athleticism. Woakes stalked off dejectedly and left Bairstow brooding.
Whether it was still preying on his mind when Wahab delivered his next ball only he can say. It was on a length, with a modicum of width, the sort of thing that Bairstow has been cuffing through the covers all summer. Instead he checked his shot, the ball went in the air to cover where Azhar dived to collect a low catch away to his left.
Stuart Broad managed to reverse sweep Yasir straight to slip and Anderson was lbw to Iftikhar attempting to sweep.
