Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf (AFP Photo)
I think Haris deserves more credit than me because, obviously, tailenders at that position are always keen to hit sixes. So, I’m very happy that I played that innings and we won the match.
However, the all-rounder said he kept believing that he could finish the job. Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan had plenty to say about his conversation with Haris Rauf during their match-winning partnership against England. “Obviously, you only enjoy an innings when the team wins. The way I was guiding him, or he was guiding me, we managed to put together a good partnership. Pakistan looked close to defeat when Shadab found himself with the last man at the crease.
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.
“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. 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. ”
The conditions were a little different today, with dew coming in.
Chasing 242, the hosts were struggling at 154-9 before Shadab and Rauf joined hands to take the team home. 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.
We were talking more about other things than cricket,” Shadab said after being named Player of the Match. Reflecting on the partnership, Shadab said Rauf deserved more credit for helping Pakistan cross the finish line. “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. Their conversation seemed to work wonders as Pakistan pulled off a remarkable comeback.