Pakistan pulled off a remarkable ODI chase against England in Lahore, recovering from 154 for 9 to win with an unbeaten 89-run last-wicket stand between Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf. The finish turned a match that had looked England’s for long stretches into one of the most dramatic results of the tri-series one day international cricket competition.
England had earlier been all out for 241, despite Duckett’s 105, and that total appeared competitive once Pakistan slipped to 154 for 9 and still needed 88 more runs. But Shadab Khan changed the course of the chase with a century, reaching three figures in the 47th over and leaving Pakistan needing just three runs to complete the win.
A record chase finish
The decisive detail was the last wicket. Pakistan’s 89-run stand at the end of the innings surpassed a record that had stood since the 1975 World Cup, when Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts shared a 64-run partnership for the tenth wicket in a successful ODI chase against Pakistan. This time, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf went one better and carried Pakistan home.
The result also underlined how quickly momentum can swing in this format. Pakistan were down to one wicket in hand, yet still found a way to close out the chase. For England, the loss left them needing help elsewhere, as their route to Saturday’s final is now out of their hands.
What England need now
After the match, England needed Pakistan to beat Sri Lanka on Tuesday and then needed to beat Sri Lanka heavily on Thursday to keep a chance of reaching Saturday’s final. That means England must now rely on a specific sequence of results rather than only their own performances.
As Nasser Hussain put it, you can’t beat a Tri team tournament. In this case, that unpredictability is exactly what England are dealing with after a match that Pakistan finished with one wicket standing and a late partnership that changed the standings in the competition.
