Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan had plenty to say about his conversation with Haris Rauf during their match-winning partnership against England. After guiding Pakistan to a thrilling one-wicket win in Lahore on Sunday, Shadab revealed that the two were talking more about things other than cricket.“He was explaining things to me more than I was explaining things to him. He was saying things along the way that I don’t think we can reveal on live TV. I think we had a lot of fun moments and really enjoyed ourselves. We were talking more about other things than cricket,” Shadab said after being named Player of the Match.Their conversation seemed to work wonders as Pakistan pulled off a remarkable comeback. Chasing 242, the hosts were struggling at 154-9 before Shadab and Rauf joined hands to take the team home.
Shadab, Rauf script record partnership
Shadab remained unbeaten on 113, while Rauf scored seven not out off 19 balls. The pair added 89 runs for the last wicket, the highest partnership for the final wicket in a successful ODI run chase.Pakistan needed a strong finish after England’s bowlers had put them on the back foot. Shadab struck 13 fours and five sixes to lead the fightback, while Rauf played a crucial supporting role.Shadab was given out lbw with Pakistan needing 21 runs to win. However, he reviewed the decision and survived after replays showed an inside edge.Reflecting on the partnership, Shadab said Rauf deserved more credit for helping Pakistan cross the finish line.“Obviously, you only enjoy an innings when the team wins. So, I’m very happy that I played that innings and we won the match. I think Haris deserves more credit than me because, obviously, tailenders at that position are always keen to hit sixes. The way I was guiding him, or he was guiding me, we managed to put together a good partnership.”
Shadab reveals what kept him going at 154-9
Pakistan looked close to defeat when Shadab found himself with the last man at the crease. However, the all-rounder said he kept believing that he could finish the job.“Obviously, I think you just go with the flow. When I made my comeback in the last series, there was an innings against Australia where I kept going until the end, but I couldn’t win the match. So the idea was to keep believing. The conditions were a little different today, with dew coming in. I also felt their bowling was under a bit of pressure, given how things had gone in the previous match. I thought that if we could put them under pressure, they might end up bowling in areas that suited my game.”
Afridi’s four wickets put England under pressure
Earlier, England were bowled out for 241 in 46.4 overs after Ben Duckett scored a composed 105. Shaheen Shah Afridi led Pakistan’s bowling attack with four wickets for 46 runs.Afridi struck in the first over to dismiss Tom Banton and removed Joe Root in the third. Haris Rauf then sent Jordan Cox back as England slipped to 52-4.Duckett and Sam Curran rebuilt the innings with a 93-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Curran scored 42 before becoming Afridi’s third victim. Jamie Overton helped England cross 200, while Gus Atkinson remained unbeaten on 36.Pakistan’s chase also got off to a poor start as Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam fell for 10 each. Saad Baig scored a quick 32 off 22 balls, while Salman Ali Agha made 26, but Pakistan continued to lose wickets.Shadab arrived at the crease in the 24th over with Pakistan at 103-6. His unbeaten century eventually turned the match around and secured a place for the hosts in the tri-series final.The defeat was England’s third consecutive loss in the tri-series. They had earlier suffered a heavy blow when Sri Lanka chased down 430 with one ball remaining, completing the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history.
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