By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Pakistan beat England by one wicket on Sunday after Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf added an unbeaten 89 for the last wicket, the highest 10th-wicket partnership in a successful one-day international chase.
Shadab finished on 113 from 96 balls, with 13 fours and five sixes, to score his first ODI century. Pakistan reached 243-9 in 47.1 overs, chasing 242, to secure a place in the tri-series final at the Gaddafi Stadium on 31 October.
The result leaves England in deep trouble. They lost their first two matches of the tournament and needed a win to stay in contention, and their exit could be confirmed before they play their last game, against Sri Lanka on Thursday. They also failed to defend a total of 429 against Sri Lanka last Thursday.
Pakistan were 154-9 after 33.5 overs, still 88 short of victory, when Haris joined Shadab. England had taken wickets at regular intervals all afternoon, and Shadab, who had reached 32, began to attack.
He drove Gus Atkinson over mid-off and pulled him through deep midwicket for boundaries. His fifty came off 49 balls, with a six over deep square leg off the debutant Henry Crocombe. He then used his feet to the spinner Liam Dawson, sweeping a full toss for four and carving another six over wide long-off. Reverse sweeps and drives through cover kept the chase alive.
Shadab often refused singles to keep the strike, and Haris defended for long periods. Shadab scored 68 of the first 69 runs of the stand. The pair reached 50 together before Shadab moved into the 90s with a pull for four off Sam Curran.
With Pakistan needing 27, Shadab swept Atkinson for six over fine leg. Atkinson’s next ball, a full delivery, hit him on the pads and the umpire gave him out leg before wicket on 97. Shadab had not realised the ball had flicked his bat. Haris insisted he review the decision, and UltraEdge showed a spike as the ball passed the bat, so the decision was overturned.
Shadab reached his century off 91 balls with a four between short third and backward point, then whipped another full delivery through square leg for four. After two dot balls he hit Atkinson over long-off for six. Haris, who had scored three from 18 balls, finished the match in the next over by driving Crocombe straight for four. He was unbeaten on seven from 19 balls.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the team on X. “The last wicket partnership between Shadab and Haris turned the game around,” he wrote. “Shadab’s century was spectacular. Well done boys!” He added: “Every run, every wicket and every catch showed the grit, discipline and fighting spirit that define Pakistan.”
Speaking to PCB Digital, Haris said he had believed from the start that Pakistan could win, and that he had told Shadab late on that he would finish the match himself. “The way Shadab batted was world-class,” he said, adding that the win had given the people of Pakistan a great moment of happiness. Shadab said he had been deeply disappointed when given out, but was pleased to have repaid the faith shown in him by the selectors and team management.
The stand beat the previous best for the 10th wicket in a successful ODI chase, an unbeaten 64 by West Indies’ Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts against Pakistan at Edgbaston on 11 June 1975. Australia’s James Faulkner and Clint McKay are third, with an unbeaten 57 against England in Brisbane in January 2014.
Shadab’s 113 is also the highest score by a batter at No 8 or lower in men’s ODIs, passing the 100 not out shared by Ireland’s Simi Singh and Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz. He is only the third player to make an ODI century from that position.
England had their own 40-run last-wicket stand earlier in the day, so the two 10th-wicket partnerships together produced 129 runs, an ODI record. Shadab and Haris’s stand is the second-highest for the 10th wicket by Pakistan in ODIs, behind the 103 between Mohammad Amir and Saeed Ajmal against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi in 2009.
England’s total of 241, all out in 46.4 overs, had looked competitive after the early damage done by the Pakistan captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi. He took 4-46 and reduced the visitors to 19-3 inside five overs. Tom Banton fell for four, Joe Root made five and the England captain, Harry Brook, was run out for one. Haris then removed Jordan Cox for six, caught behind by Babar Azam, to leave England on 52-4.
Ben Duckett rebuilt the innings. He reached his half-century off 56 balls and England passed 100 in the 20th over. He pulled Haris for four, hit Salman Ali Agha over deep midwicket for six and reverse-hit another boundary. Curran made 42 off 52 balls, and the pair put on 93 for the fifth wicket until Shaheen had Curran caught at fine leg.
Duckett reached his fifth ODI century off 104 balls, his first against Pakistan, before Arafat Minhas had him caught at short fine leg in the 37th over. He made 105 off 111 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes.
Razaullah took a sharp return catch to dismiss Will Jacks for 13, his first ODI wicket. Dawson fell for five and Jamie Overton for 10. Atkinson hit an unbeaten 36 off 28 balls, including three sixes, to carry England past 200, and Shaheen ended the innings by dismissing Crocombe for eight.
Pakistan’s reply began badly. Fakhar Zaman made 10, Saim Ayub six and Babar Azam 10, and all three were out inside seven overs. Saad Baig made 32 off 22 balls with seven fours before falling, Hasan Nawaz made 15 and Salman Ali Agha 26 off 49 balls. Dawson took both Hasan and Salman. Shaheen and Razaullah then went, and only Shadab and Haris were left.
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