In another last-gasp thriller, England's four-wicket margin of victory was about right, though the three-balls-to-spare bit was a bit unkind on the faint hearts and fingernails of a healthy crowd who were vociferously in favour of the old enemy.
For many of the English supporters among them this was the end of their Australian road, which began in Melbourne at Christmas and finishes with flights home from Brisbane today. Thankfully, they have smiles on their faces for England have won three of the four international matches they have seen, each one a cracker in its own right.
Yesterday England still needed 16 from the last 15 balls when Lancashire's favourite left-hander drove Sanath Jayasuriya back over his head and over the ropes, too, for as memorable and much-needed a six as most of us could remember since Allan Lamb laid into Bruce Reid at the Sydney Cricket Ground all those years ago.
Fairbrother faced 105 balls for his 67 unbeaten runs. They came almost exclusively in singles from nudging and nurdling in that busy manner of his. And they came from another display of the bottle which has characterised his successful performances in so many tight matches for club and country.
He is in Australia in the role of middle-order playmaker and is a direct replacement for the injured Graham Thorpe. He will now have sparked a rethink by the selectors, who should include them both, if fit, next summer. At 35, Fairbrother is not for the knacker's yard after all. He is alive, extremely well, it seems, and burning still with the desire to wear the colours of his country.
Really, though, England should have cruised home far more easily after their racy start. Nick Knight and Alec Stewart jollied along at more than five an over with elegant, powerful strokeplay and Graeme Hick continued with much of the same. But all three fell in sloppy fashion - Stewart, looking tired, ran himself out; Knight, having missed a sweep, left his back foot lingering out of its ground; and Hick had a wah-hoo at a good-length ball from Muttiah Muralitharan.
One wicket brings two, says cricket's lore, and Adam Hollioake was immediately bowled through a gaping gate by another lovely off-break before Mark Alleyne stuttered painfully to just 18 runs from the 50 balls he faced.
Suddenly, the Sri Lankan spinners, supremely orchestrated by that master tactician Arjuna Ranatunga, had turned the thing on its head and it took a sensible vignette from Robert Croft to accompany Fairbrother past the finishing post.
What fun it is, though, to watch Murali bowl as he weaved his web with a deal of flight, crafty changes of pace and, as always, plenty of spin. Jayasuriya was barely more expensive and might have snared three himself, but in the end there simply were not enough runs on the board for the doughty Sri Lankans to defend.
This was because, for the second day in succession, when conditions were more Colombo than Coventry, England bowled with discipline and intelligence. Hollioake's 57 varieties managed the best figures - he out-thought Ranatunga with a perfect slower ball, the one he calls a 'knuckle' ball - but they were all tidy, with Alan Mullally especially impressive again.
Darren Gough gave the lead when a very fast ball left Jayasuriya a little off the pitch and Hick clung on to the edge above his head at second slip. The consistent Croft broke the second-wicket partnership of 97 when he convinced the thoroughly entertaining and technically correct Romesh Kaluwitherana to top-edge a sweep. Hashan Tillerkeratne fashioned a valuable fifty but England had the squeeze on and the total of 207 was below par on another outstandingly good Gabba pitch.
If England were more comfortable against spin they would have romped home but 77 from the last 20 overs quickly became 46 off 10, which became a run-a-ball at the moment Croft arrived at the crease. The Pride of Wales was up to it - 10 needed from two overs, five from the last -and even the old pro Fairbrother was moved to jig his delight when Croft's well-struck three through midwicket sealed the night.
England are top dogs today with two wins from two. If they continue to hold their nerve as they have done in these couple of games, they might yet be top dogs come the middle of February, too. ``It's all totally different from the last World Cup,'' Fairbrother said. ``Roles have been defined, strategies have been made and we know where we're going.''