Tri-Nation ODI Series: Pakistan Defeats England by One Wicket; Shadab Khan Scores a Century
(Asghar Ali Mubarak) – Powered by a magnificent century from Shadab Khan, Pakistan has secured a spot in the final of the Tri-Nation ODI Series after defeating England by one wicket in a thrilling contest. In the fourth match of the series, held at Gaddafi Stadium, England batted first—having been invited to do so by Pakistan—and were bowled out for 241 runs in the 47th over. Pakistan successfully chased the target of 242 runs in the 48th over, losing 9 wickets in the process. Pakistan’s decision to field first after winning the toss proved justified; Shaheen Shah Afridi troubled the English batting lineup early on, sending key top-order players back to the pavilion.
England’s innings got off to a poor start, with Shaheen Shah Afridi dealing an early blow by dismissing Tom Banton for 4 runs in the very first over. He then claimed the wicket of Joe Root for 5 runs in the third over. Shortly after, with the team total at 19, captain Harry Brook was run out after scoring just one run. England’s fourth wicket fell at 52 runs when Jordan Cox was dismissed for 6 runs off the bowling of Haris Rauf.
Following the loss of the first four wickets for 52 runs, Ben Duckett and Sam Curran steadied the innings, forging a crucial 93-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Sam Curran was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi after scoring 42 runs off 52 balls.
Subsequently, England lost their sixth wicket at 175 runs, with Will Jacks departing for 13 runs off the bowling of Razaullah. While wickets continued to fall at one end, opener Ben Duckett held firm at the other and completed his century. When England’s score reached 187, Ben Duckett was also dismissed—caught by Salman Ali Agha off the bowling of Arafat Minhas—after playing an innings of 105 runs off 111 balls, which included 10 fours and 2 sixes. Additionally, Liam Dawson (5 runs) and Jamie Overton (10 runs) returned to the pavilion. Henry Crocombe (8 runs) became Shaheen Afridi’s fourth victim, while Gus Atkinson remained unbeaten on 36 runs off 28 balls, an innings that featured 3 sixes.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi took 4 wickets for 46 runs in 8.4 overs. Arafat Minhas and Razaullah claimed 2 wickets each, and Haris Rauf took one, while Shadab Khan remained wicketless. England’s team could not even complete their full quota of 50 overs; they were bowled out for 241 runs in 46.4 overs, setting Pakistan a target of 242 to win. In pursuit of this target, Pakistan’s early wickets fell like a house of cards. Fakhar Zaman (10), Saim Ayub (6), and Babar Azam (10) all headed back to the pavilion, while Saad Baig scored 32, Salman Ali Agha contributed 26, and Hassan Nawaz managed 15.
With Pakistan reeling at 154 for 9, Shadab Khan—who came in to bat at number eight—and Haris Rauf stood firm like a rock against the English bowlers. Playing with great responsibility, Shadab Khan turned the tide of the match; he scored the first century of his ODI career, completely shifting the momentum and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in a thrilling contest. Haris Rauf provided excellent support throughout, holding his end steady. The pair added 89 runs for the final wicket. At one point, when Shadab Khan was on an individual score of 97, the umpire declared him out LBW, but a review revealed he was actually not out. In the final stages of the match, Shadab Khan, alongside Haris Rauf, dashed England’s hopes of victory and secured a win for Pakistan. Shadab Khan played an unbeaten innings of 113 runs off 96 balls, featuring 5 sixes and 13 fours, while Haris Rauf remained not out on 7 runs. For England, Jamie Overton claimed 3 wickets, while Gus Atkinson and Liam Dawson took 2 wickets each. Additionally, Henry Crocombe and Will Jacks each secured one wicket.
Consequently, Pakistan chased down the target of 242 runs in 47.1 overs for the loss of 9 wickets, winning the thrilling contest by one wicket and qualifying for the final of the tri-nation ODI series. Two changes were made to the Pakistan side for the match against England: Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf were dropped, with Razaullah and Shadab Khan brought into the national team; Razaullah made his ODI debut. England also made one change, with Henry Crocombe making his debut in place of Josh Tongue.
Pakistan’s fast bowler and ODI captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, reached a significant milestone during the second match of the tri-nation series against England by completing 150 wickets in One Day International (ODI) cricket. He has become the fastest Pakistani fast bowler to achieve this feat. He claimed his 150th ODI wicket by dismissing England opener Tom Banton in the first over of the innings. It is worth noting that the first three matches of the tri-nation series were held in Rawalpindi, where Pakistan emerged victorious in both of their opening encounters—against Sri Lanka and England. The national team defeated Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the first match and England by 87 runs in the second. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka won one match and lost the other, whereas England has lost both of their opening matches.
