Shadab Khan century moments do not come bigger than this. On Sunday evening at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, the all-rounder scripted one of the greatest finishes in ODI history, smashing 113 not out off 96 balls to drag Pakistan from the edge of defeat at 154 for 9 to a one-wicket win over England with a target of 242 scraped in the 48th over. The victory did more than hand Pakistan a thrilling win, it sealed Pakistan’s place in the tri-series final on Saturday, October 31, at the same Gaddafi Stadium ground. Here is exactly how the heist unfolded, which records fell, and everything you need to know about the final.
Shadab Khan Century vs England: How the Heist Unfolded
The chase never looked like a chase for most of the evening. England’s total of 241 was considered par on a fresh Lahore pitch, and Pakistan’s top order simply collapsed against disciplined seam bowling. Fakhar Zaman fell for 10, Saim Ayub for 6, and Babar Azam for 10. By the time Mohammad Rizwan walked back for 8 and Arafat Minhas for 1, Pakistan were 103 for 5 and sinking. Saad Baig’s 32 and Salman Ali Agha’s 26 were the only real resistances above double figures in the top and middle order.
At 154 for 9, with Hasan Nawaz (15), Shaheen Shah Afridi (4) and the tail all back in the hut, England needed one wicket. Pakistan needed 88 runs. What followed was 89 runs of pure nerve: an unbroken last-wicket stand between Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf that turned a lost cause into a famous win. Rauf blocked, hustled for singles, and, most importantly, survived. Shadab did everything else.
The finishing sequence told the story. Two dot balls, then Shadab launched Gus Atkinson over long-off for six to leave Pakistan one hit away. Earlier, he had punched Atkinson through the covers to bring up his maiden ODI century off just 91 balls, then whipped the next delivery through square leg for four. When the winning runs came, Gaddafi Stadium erupted the way it does only a handful of times in a generation.
The Record 89-Run Last-Wicket Stand
Numbers rarely capture drama, but these do. The unbroken 89-run partnership between Shadab and Haris Rauf is now the highest tenth-wicket partnership in a successful ODI chase in the history of the format, beating the previous record of 64. Think about what that means: in nearly six decades of ODI cricket, no last-wicket pair had ever carried a team across the line from further behind.
113 not out off 96 balls with 13 fours and five sixes, the highest score by a number eight batter in ODI history, a maiden international century in Shadab’s very first attempt at three figures.
89 runs added for the final wicket, a record stand in a successful chase, built in roughly 11 overs of escalating tension.
154 for 9 to 242 for 9. Pakistan needed 88 from the position every fan had already written off. They got them with 12 balls to spare.
There was even a twist of fortune woven in. On 97, Shadab appeared to edge behind, and the big screen flashed an UltraEdge spike as the ball passed the bat. The on-field decision was reviewed and overturned, replays suggesting the ball had missed everything. From disbelief to delight in seconds, Shadab returned to his crease with a smile, and England’s shoulders visibly dropped.
Maiden International Hundred: Where It Ranks in His Career
Shadab Khan has been part of Pakistan’s white-ball core for years, valued for his leg-spin, his fielding, and handy lower-order runs, but a century at international level had always eluded him. His List A best before this innings sat well short of three figures, which is what makes the composure of this knock so striking. This was not slogging. The century came off 91 balls, paced through ones and twos in the nervous middle overs before the boundary burst arrived once the field spread and the equation eased.
Cricket publication Wisden Cricket described it as an innings to remember, while the ICC itself posted that a monumental hundred under pressure from Shadab sent Pakistan into the final, and followed with a second message: Pakistan pulled victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to a sensational hundred. Fans and commentators repeatedly reached for the phrase “one of the great ODI heists”, and few who watched the final overs would argue.
For the player himself, the context matters. Dropped, recalled, and forever judged against the explosive standards of modern all-rounders, Shadab answered the loudest possible way: a match-winning hundred, in a run chase, against England, in Pakistan, with a final on the line. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif joined the tributes, writing that the last-wicket partnership turned the game around and calling the century spectacular, adding that every run and wicket showed the grit that defines Pakistan. Official fixtures and tournament communications sit on the ICC’s official website.
Tri-Series Final: Date, Time and Venue
Everything now points to Saturday, October 31, 2026, when the top two teams of the tri-series meet in the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The match starts at 1:00 PM local time, with the toss an hour earlier. Pakistan have played some of their best white-ball cricket of the home season at this very ground across the past two weeks.
Final: Saturday, October 31, 2026, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, start 1:00 PM PKT (08:00 GMT). The winner lifts the tri-series trophy in the evening.
The tournament began in Rawalpindi on October 18 with Pakistan against Sri Lanka, moved through the middle fixtures including Pakistan’s win over England in the second ODI, and shifted to Lahore for the last stretch. Our full schedule and results tracker follows every result of the series, and the points table page breaks down how net run rate and head-to-head results shaped the standings heading into the last league game between England and Sri Lanka on October 29.
Who Pakistan Face in the Final
Pakistan’s place is booked. The second finalist was being decided in the England versus Sri Lanka league match on October 29, the last game of the round-robin stage. England, led by Harry Brook, controlled their own destiny in the table, while Kusal Mendis’ Sri Lanka needed results to fall their way. Whichever side advances, Pakistan will carry momentum and a packed home crowd into Saturday’s final.
There is also a strategic layer. Pakistan’s captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has now led the side in eleven ODIs, winning seven, a healthy record built on aggressive new-ball spells and, as Sunday proved, depth that goes all the way to number nine. England’s pace attack, including Atkinson, troubled Pakistan’s top order repeatedly in the league games, so the final is likely to reward whichever batting unit handles the new ball better.
Reactions: From the Prime Minister to the Dressing Room
The win dominated Pakistani social media for hours. The ICC’s posts amplified it globally, Wisden called it unforgettable, and former players lined up to call it one of the greatest ODI chases ever staged in Pakistan. The prime minister’s message captured the national mood, praising the partnership between Shadab and Haris as the turning point and the century as spectacular.
Inside the camp, the quiet satisfaction will centre on what the innings says about this team’s character. Sides that lose their top five inside twenty overs usually fold. This one, on home soil, in a must-not-lose game, found a way, and the dressing room’s faith in batting depth was rewarded in the most dramatic fashion available.
The Lahore Crowd Factor
Neutral venues do not exist in Pakistan when Pakistan chases at Gaddafi Stadium, and Sunday showed why. Every dot ball in the final overs was met with a roar, every single punched into the gap lifted thousands off their seats, and by the time Shadab cleared long-off for six, the noise on the broadcast made ordinary conversation impossible. Home advantage is discussed in tactical terms, but its most honest form is emotional: England’s fielders retreated into themselves as the stand grew, dropping deeper, whispering about reviews, while Pakistan’s dugout leaned forward.
Lahore has a long memory for chases. This is the ground where famous white-ballheists have become part of the city’s cricket folklore, and the crowd’s role in the final on October 31 will be the same: eleven home players plus tens of thousands of voices. Opposing captains have repeatedly described batting under that pressure as the toughest away assignment in the format, and whoever Pakistan meet on Saturday will plan for it as seriously as they plan for the pitch.
Shadab’s Journey: From Doubts to a Night of Records
The context around Shadab Khan’s week makes the innings richer. Selection debates had followed him for months, with critics pointing at inconsistent returns with both bat and ball and questioning whether a leg-spinning all-rounder who batted at eight justified his place ahead of specialist options. Management kept faith, publicly and repeatedly, describing him as a match-winner whose contributions arrive in packages rather than averages. Sunday was the ultimate vindication of that patience.
His path to this hundred is a story of modern Pakistani cricket itself: discovered as a teenage leg-spinner from Mianwali, fast-tracked into the national side, handed responsibilities in World Cups, dropped after lean stretches, recalled whenever his unique skills fit a condition or a tournament. Through all of it, the batting kept improving quietly, first as hitting practice, then as technique, until a 96-ball masterclass made him the first number eight in ODI history to carry a chase this far on his own bat.
Teammates describe him as the dressing room’s energy source, the first to congratulate, the last to sulk. That temperament showed in the finishing overs: no wild swings at pace, no panic against the fields set for him, just calculated risk after calculated risk until the equation collapsed into comfort. Champions are often made in lost causes; Shadab turned one into a career night.
What Comes After the Final
The tri-series was always designed as preparation for a bigger winter, with Test cricket against Sri Lanka to follow. For Pakistan, the final on October 31 is both a trophy opportunity and a form checkpoint: the top order’s fragility remains the obvious concern, while the bowling, the fielding, and now proven lower-order depth are genuine strengths. For Shadab Khan personally, one innings has reset the conversation around his place in the side, and a final hundred at Gaddafi would complete one of the great turnarounds in recent Pakistani white-ball memory.
For the record books, Sunday’s chase also rewrote a small slice of history for Pakistan’s number eight position and gave the tri-series its defining image. Whatever happens in Saturday’s final, the night of October 25 is already safe: a hundred from number eight, a record tenth-wicket stand, and a stadium that refused to go home quiet.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Shadab Khan Century
What was Shadab Khan’s score against England?
Shadab Khan scored 113 not out off 96 balls with 13 fours and five sixes, his maiden international century, and the highest score by a number eight batter in ODI history.
How did Pakistan win after being 154 for 9?
An unbroken 89-run tenth-wicket partnership between Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf carried Pakistan from 154 for 9 to 242 for 9, sealing a one-wicket win over England with 12 balls remaining.
Is the 89-run stand a record?
Yes. It is the highest tenth-wicket partnership in a successful ODI chase, surpassing the previous record of 64 runs.
When and where is the tri-series final?
The final is on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, starting at 1:00 PM local time.
Who is playing the tri-series final?
Pakistan have secured their place. England and Sri Lanka played the last league match on October 29 to decide the second finalist.
Was Shadab given out on 97?
No. The big screen showed an UltraEdge spike, but the review overturned the on-field call, replays showing the ball had missed the bat, and Shadab went on to complete his century.
Match facts follow the Pakistan Tri-Nation ODI Series 2026 coverage and official tournament communications. This is an independent news article and is not affiliated with the PCB or the ICC.
