Shadab scripts a miracle as Pakistan stun England

Hits 113, shares 89-run last wicket stand with Haris in one-wicket win

LAHORE:

Shadab Khan eventually lived up to the expectations as he hit his maiden century to put Pakistan in the final when they conquered England by one wicket in a crucial ODI tri-series clash at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Sunday.

Set to chase 242, Pakistan were reeling at 154-9 in the 34th over and there was no hope of a resurrection.

However, Shadab engineered a stunning knock, hitting unbeaten 113 off 96 balls to steer the hosts to unbelievable victory with 17 balls to spare. Shadab hammered five sixes and 13 fours in his first century of his career.

He dominated an 89-run tenth wicket unbroken stand with Haris Rauf, who remained not out on seven which came off 19 balls.

Jamie Overton was the pick of the bowlers with 3-43 while Gus Atkinson and Liam Dawson claimed two wickets each.

Set to chase 242, Pakistan suffered a lengthy collapse. The hosts kept losing wickets at regular intervals

Green-shirts got off to a shaky start as Gus Atkinson and debutant Henry Crocombe struck early to put them under immediate pressure. Fakhar Zaman departed for ten off 18 balls, caught by Jamie Overton off Atkinson, before Crocombe dismissed Saim Ayub for six, also caught by Overton. Atkinson then removed Babar Azam for ten, bowled, leaving Pakistan struggling at 31-3 inside seven overs.

Stumper Saad Baig briefly revived hopes of a recovery with an aggressive innings of 32 off just 22 balls, striking seven fours. His attacking approach helped Pakistan move forward, but Jamie Overton ended the counterattack by having him caught by Will Jacks to leave Pakistan reeling at 74-4.

Salman Agha and Hasan Nawaz attempted to rebuild the innings through a more cautious partnership. Salman made 26 from 49 deliveries while Hasan scored 15 off 33 balls. Liam Dawson broke through by dismissing Hasan, caught by Harry Brook, before Overton removed Arafat Minhas for one, caught by Joe Root. Pakistan slipped to 103-6, with pressure mounting.

Salman became Dawson's second victim when he was caught by Sam Curran for 26, reducing Pakistan to 122-7. Overton then claimed his third wicket by dismissing Shaheen Afridi as Pakistan fell to 131-8. Will Jacks then removed Razaullah (8) and now there was no such hope left. But Shadab had thought otherwise to gift a sensational win to the hosts.

Earlier, Ben Duckett struck his fifth one-day international century to take England to a seemingly good total.

Duckett scored 105 off 111 balls, including ten fours and two sixes, anchoring England's innings after they lost three wickets for 19 runs inside the first five overs.

Tom Banton fell for four, Joe Root scored five and captain Harry Brook was run out for one as Pakistan made an early breakthrough with the new ball.

Duckett rebuilt the innings alongside Sam Curran, who contributed 42 off 52 deliveries. The pair added 126 runs for the fifth wicket before Curran was dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi for 42.

Duckett reached his century off 104 balls, but Pakistan struck regularly in the latter stages to prevent England from building a commanding total.

Shaheen finished with 4-46 from 8.4 overs, also reaching the milestone of 150 ODI wickets. Left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas claimed 2-26, while debutant Razaullah also took two wickets, conceding 38 runs in eight overs.

Razaullah marked his ODI debut with the dismissals of Will Jacks, who scored 13, and Liam Dawson, who made five.

Gus Atkinson provided a late contribution with an unbeaten 36 off 28 balls, including three sixes, but England were dismissed with 20 balls remaining.

The third straight loss put England on the brink of elimination.

Earlier Pakistan opted to field first after they won toss. Pakistan made two changes, bringing in Shadab Khan in place of Faheem Ashraf. Fast bowler Razaullah will make his ODI debut as he has replaced Naseem Shah whose left hand finger has dislocated. But skipper Shaheen Afridi said that he would be fit for the next game against Sri Lanka.

England made one change, bringing in Henry Crocombe in place of Josh Tongue. Henry will make his international debut as a fast bowler. Pakistan have won their previous two matches and they need just one win to qualify for the final.

The 89-run unbeaten tenth wicket partnership between Shadab and Haris is the highest in a successful ODI chase, surpassing Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts' previous record of an unbeaten 64 for West Indies against Pakistan in the 1975 World Cup.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the Pakistan cricket team on their thrilling victory, praising the players' determination and the match-winning partnership between Shadab and Haris.

In a statement, President Zardari lauded Shadab's century and his decisive last-wicket stand with Haris, saying the team had displayed courage, determination and excellent cricket. He also praised the national side's overall performance in the tri-nation series and congratulated Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on the team's success.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz said every run, wicket and catch reflected the team's grit, discipline and fighting spirit. He described Shadab's century as spectacular and said the partnership with Haris had turned the match around. He also praised the Lahore crowd for filling millions of hearts with pride and joy, and commended Naqvi and his team for their efforts to strengthen Pakistan cricket and promote international cricket on home soil.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)