England snatched defeat from the jaws of victory once more to go away their tri-series closing hopes hanging by a thread as Shadab Khan’s heroics rescued a shocking one-wicket win for Pakistan.
After Sri Lanka chased 430 to win in Rawalpindi, England’s bowlers have been on target to bounce again in Lahore once they diminished Pakistan to 154 for 9 in pursuit of 242 – however Shadab had different concepts.
With simply quantity 11 Haris Rauf for firm, all-rounder Shadab confirmed the urgency missing from his top-order colleagues to register a maiden worldwide hundred and get Pakistan house with 17 balls to spare.
Shadab marshalled the strike brilliantly in his 113 not out off 96 deliveries, permitting Haris to face simply 19 balls from which he scored an unbeaten seven, and it was England who blinked first.
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PICTURES: Ok.M. Chaudary/AP
England feeling blue
They posted what appeared a below-par complete of 241 all out, bolstered by Ben Duckett’s majestic 105 off 111 balls, however after making early inroads into Pakistan’s high order, England’s bowlers placed on the collective squeeze with Jamie Overton amassing three for 43.
He had bowled out by the point Shadab and Rauf got here collectively to encourage Pakistan, clad in pink to lift consciousness for breast most cancers, and depart England feeling blue after a 3rd successive defeat within the event, all however ending their bid to succeed in Saturday’s showpiece on the Gaddafi Stadium.
Shadab initially began watchfully, taking simply 5 singles from his first 16 deliveries, earlier than ending Pakistan’s run of 94 balls with no boundary, however he quickly had simply Rauf for firm.
Shadab went on the assault, citing his fifty by belting England debutant Henry Crocombe for the primary of 5 sixes and persevering with to chip away on the goal, repeatedly stealing singles after the fourth or fifth deliveries of the over to minimise Rauf dealing with strike.
Scarcely-believable win
It appeared to be in useless when he was yorked on 97 by Gus Atkinson and given lbw, prompting Shadab to throw his bat to the bottom in disgust, however he was saved by a seemingly forlorn overview due to a skinny inside edge.
Pakistan followers who had streamed out of the bottom on the fall of the ninth wicket reappeared as Shadab reached an impressive 92-ball hundred courtesy of back-to-back fours off Atkinson.
That introduced the goal all the way down to single figures and, when Shadab cracked Atkinson down the bottom for six, the writing was on the wall, as he went to the very best rating by a quantity eight batter earlier than Rauf sealed a scarcely-believable win by thumping a 4 down the bottom off Crocombe.
England began the day by slipping to 19 for 3 when Harry Brook was run out for one, three days after his record-breaking double hundred, a slip when coming again for a second proving his undoing following Razaullah’s bullet throw from the deep.
A century for Duckett
Duckett rebuilt alongside Sam Curran in a restorative 93-run stand which ended when Curran was bounced out by Shaheen Shah Afridi for 42.
Duckett introduced up his second ODI ton in Lahore, having made 165 towards Australia on the Gaddafi Stadium in final 12 months’s Champions Trophy, earlier than top-edging a sweep to Salman Agha when Arafat Minhas was launched.
Atkinson belted three sixes in a breezy unbeaten 36 to get England nicely past 200.
He then made the breakthrough when Fakhar Zaman edged to slide, with Crocombe snaring Saim Ayub in equivalent vogue.
A final stand for the ages
Atkinson then discovered a touch of motion off the pitch to bowl Babar Azam by way of the gate and accumulate his second wicket as Pakistan slipped to 31 for 3 then 74 for 4 after Overton accounted for Saad Baig.
Salman Agha and Hasan Nawaz went into their shells in a stodgy 28-run stand in 64 balls earlier than each skied catches to fielders off the metronomic Liam Dawson.
Arafat tucked off his hip to Root off Overton, who snared Afridi when Pakistan’s captain sliced to 3rd and when Razaullah had his off-stump knocked again in Will Jacks’ first over, England appeared set for a primary win.
Shadab, although, had the final chortle in an unbroken 89-run stand with Rauf for the ages.
READ MORE: Harry Brook smashes double-century for England in vain as Sri Lanka complete stunning chase
