The Pakistan vs England result on Sunday, 25 October 2026, was one of the great one-day international finishes. Pakistan beat England by one wicket at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, chasing down 242 with 17 balls to spare after looking beaten at 154 for 9. The hero was Shadab Khan, whose unbeaten 113 off 96 balls — his maiden ODI century — turned certain defeat into a famous win and sent Pakistan into the final of the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026.

Trending per news coverage across the cricket world, the match swung wildly from start to finish. England, put in to bat after Pakistan won the toss, recovered from 19 for 3 to post 241 all out in 46.4 overs. Pakistan's chase then collapsed in the middle overs before Shadab and last man Haris Rauf produced an unbroken 89-run stand for the 10th wicket — the highest last-wicket partnership in a successful ODI chase in history.

Pakistan vs England: how the Lahore thriller unfolded

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and chose to bowl first, and his bowlers struck early. England were 19 for 3 before Ben Duckett rebuilt the innings with a superb 105 off 111 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes. Sam Curran added 42 as England recovered to 241, but Shaheen led the bowling with 4 for 46, while debutant Razaullah took 2 for 38 and Arafat Minhas claimed 2 for 26.

Pakistan's reply began badly and got worse. Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub and Babar Azam all fell cheaply, and when Razaullah was ninth out with the score on 154 in the 34th over, England were overwhelming favourites. What followed was one of the great ODI comebacks. Shadab, batting with the calm of a man with nothing to lose, farmed the strike, found the boundary at will, and brought up his century off 92 balls with 13 fours and five sixes in all.

Haris Rauf, unbeaten on 7 off 19 balls, played the perfect supporting role — defending the good balls, rotating the strike, and then striking the winning boundary as Pakistan reached 243 for 9 in 47.1 overs. The Lahore crowd, which had gone quiet at 154 for 9, ended the night in delirium.

Shadab Khan's 113*: the innings that rescued Pakistan

Shadab Khan's unbeaten 113 was remarkable for its timing as much as its quality. He arrived with Pakistan in trouble and watched partners come and go, yet never let the required run rate spiral out of control. His 96-ball innings mixed clean striking down the ground with clever placement, and his acceleration after reaching fifty — 50 runs off his next 33 balls at one stage — dragged Pakistan back into a contest that had looked over.

It was Shadab's first ODI century, and it earned him the Player of the Match award. His previous ODI best had been well short of three figures, which made the occasion — a packed home ground, a must-win game, the last wicket in hand — all the more extraordinary. Former players were quick to call it an innings of a lifetime, and the ICC itself highlighted the knock on social media within minutes of the winning runs.

Just as important was what Shadab did not do: he never panicked. With Rauf at the other end, he took the majority of the strike against England's seamers, targeted the shorter boundary, and trusted Rauf to survive. It was a masterclass in batting with the tail, and it will be replayed in Pakistan for years.

England's 241: Duckett's century and a missed opportunity

For England, captained by Harry Brook, this was a defeat that will sting. Duckett's 105 was a responsible, high-class century that rescued his side from 19 for 3, and for much of the evening England looked in control. Jamie Overton took 3 for 43 and Liam Dawson claimed 2 for 30, and at 154 for 9 England had done the hard work.

But England could not finish the job. Their bowlers, so disciplined for 33 overs, could not dislodge Shadab, and a series of missed opportunities in the field let the 10th-wicket pair grow in confidence. Gus Atkinson, who took 2 for 62, and Henry Crocombe, on his way to 1 for 57, both came under late pressure as the equation shrank from daunting to gettable.

The defeat leaves England's hopes of reaching the tri-series final uncertain, while Pakistan march on. England had already lost to Pakistan by 87 runs earlier in the series, on 20 October, and this second defeat to the hosts underlined a worrying pattern: England have repeatedly let winning positions slip in this tournament.

Pakistan vs England: a record last-wicket stand

The numbers behind the finish tell their own story. Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf's unbeaten 89 off 80 balls is now the highest 10th-wicket partnership in a successful ODI run chase, beating the 64 not out by Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts for the West Indies against Pakistan at Birmingham in the 1975 World Cup — a record that had stood for more than half a century.

It was also a near-perfect illustration of why one-day cricket remains so compelling: a game that looked finished with 16 overs still to play produced one of the most dramatic finishes of 2026. Pakistan's win was sealed with 17 balls remaining, but the margin — one wicket — barely captures how close England came.

For context, Pakistan's tri-series campaign had already produced drama. Salman Ali Agha's century powered Pakistan to a 37-run win over Sri Lanka in the tri-series opener, and the hosts have now won three of their four matches in the tournament. Tri-series cricket has a habit of producing classics — Afghanistan's seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe sealed a tri-series title in Sharjah earlier in October — and Lahore has now added another.

What the Pakistan vs England result means for the tri-series

The victory sends Pakistan into the tri-series final on 31 October, where they will meet the tournament's other finalist. For the hosts, the win is about more than one trophy: it is a statement of belief, built on the back of a lower-order rescue that will live long in the memory of everyone at Gaddafi Stadium.

For England, the questions are harder. Two defeats to Pakistan in one series, both after promising positions, will prompt a review of their death bowling and their composure under pressure. Brook's side still have a route to the final, but they no longer control their own fate, and they will need results elsewhere to go their way.

For neutrals, the message is simpler: this was why the Pakistan vs England rivalry remains one of world cricket's great fixtures. A packed Lahore crowd, a record partnership, a maiden century under maximum pressure, and a finish decided by a single wicket — the 2026 tri-series will be remembered for this night.

Key numbers from Pakistan vs England in Lahore

  • Pakistan 243 for 9 (47.1 overs) beat England 241 all out (46.4 overs) by one wicket.
  • Shadab Khan 113 not out off 96 balls (13 fours, five sixes) — his maiden ODI century and Player of the Match.
  • Ben Duckett 105 off 111 balls for England; Shaheen Shah Afridi took 4 for 46.
  • Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf added an unbeaten 89 for the 10th wicket — a record for a successful ODI chase.
  • Pakistan were 154 for 9 in the 34th over before the comeback; the winning runs came with 17 balls left.
  • Pakistan advance to the tri-series final on 31 October; England's qualification hopes are now uncertain.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo live scorecard and match report; Cricket World match report; ICC social media update on Shadab Khan's innings.