Shadab Khan's unbeaten 113 and a record last-wicket stand carry Pakistan past England

Shadab Khan made an unbeaten 113 and shared a record last-wicket stand with Haris Rauf as Pakistan beat England by one wicket to reach the tri-series final

Pakistan were nine wickets down and 88 runs short of their target at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday when Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf came together. They added an unbroken 89 to take Pakistan to 243 for 9 in 47.1 overs, past England’s 241, with 17 balls to spare.

It was Pakistan’s third win from three matches in the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series, and it booked their place in the final in Lahore on 31 October. England have now lost three in a row in the competition and must wait on other results.

Shadab finished on 113 not out from 96 balls, his maiden ODI hundred, with 13 fours and five sixes. Rauf, batting at No. 11, made 7 not out from 19 balls and hit the boundary that ended it.

England build around Duckett

Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and put England in, and the decision looked an easy one when they slipped to 19 for 3. Harry Brook was run out for 1 in that passage, and England were 52 for 4.

Ben Duckett held the innings together with 105 from 111 balls, ten fours and two sixes, his fifth ODI century. He put on 93 for the fifth wicket with Sam Curran, who made 42 from 52.

Duckett fell to Arafat Minhas, who took 2-26, and England were 175 for 6. Gus Atkinson’s unbeaten 36 from 28 balls, including three sixes, carried them to 241 in 46.4 overs.

Shaheen was the pick of the bowlers with 4-46 from 8.4 overs, dismissing Tom Banton for 4 and Joe Root for 5.

Nine down and 88 to get

Pakistan’s reply had collapsed by the 34th over, the ninth wicket falling at 154 with 88 still required and only Rauf left to partner Shadab.

Shadab had been given out lbw on 97 before the decision was overturned on review, replays showing a thick inside edge. He hit consecutive fours off Atkinson to reach his hundred, then a six that left Pakistan needing three.

Rauf faced 19 balls in all before driving Henry Crocombe down the ground for the winning four.

A record that stood 51 years

The unbroken 89 is the largest 10th-wicket partnership in a successful run chase in men’s ODI cricket. It passed the 64 not out put on by Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts for West Indies against Pakistan at the 1975 World Cup, a mark that had stood for 51 years.

Shadab’s 113 is the highest score by a men’s ODI batter at No. 8 or lower, ahead of the centuries made by Simi Singh and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in 2021.

Captains on a finish neither expected

Shaheen was lost for words afterwards. “I can’t say anything,” he said of the stand. “Shadab and Haris, the way they finished the game, (an) 89-run partnership. I’ve never seen (anything) like that in my life.”

Brook did not fault his bowlers. “I don’t think we went wrong with the ball, to be honest,” the England captain said. “I thought we did an exceptional job.”

“We probably didn’t quite get enough runs on the board, but the effort put up was phenomenal, couldn’t have asked for more,” he added.

What England need now

England’s route to the final runs through results they do not control. They need Pakistan to beat Sri Lanka on Tuesday, and then must beat Sri Lanka themselves on Thursday.

Sri Lanka have already shown what they can do in this series, chasing 430 with a ball to spare in the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history.

Scorecard: England 241 (46.4 overs) — Duckett 105, Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-46; Pakistan 243 for 9 (47.1 overs) — Shadab Khan 113 not out, Rauf 7 not out. Pakistan won by one wicket.

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