Pakistan won the toss, chose to field, and made England work for every run at Gaddafi Stadium. England were 241 all out in 46.4 overs, and the innings belonged to Ben Duckett. He made 105 off 111 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes, and he was the only batter to look settled for long periods. The early work was harder for England. Tom Banton was gone in the first over, and Joe Root and Harry Brook followed cheaply, leaving the total at 19 in under five overs. Jordan Cox fell at 52, and Sam Curran's 42 off 52 balls steadied things before a wicket at 145 slowed the innings again.
The late acceleration came from Gus Atkinson, who hit three sixes in his unbeaten 36 off 28 balls. England's last four wickets fell for 40 runs, and Atkinson's innings added the final push that took them past 240. Pakistan's bowlers did most of the damage. Shaheen Afridi took 4/46 in 8.4 overs, Arafat Minhas returned 2/26 in eight overs, and Raza Ullah took 2/38. Pakistan's bowling figures were strong, but the chase still asked a great deal of their batters.
The chase turned on a collapse. Pakistan were 102 for 5 in the 22nd over, well placed to push on. Then they lost four wickets for 52 runs, with Minhas falling at 103, Salman Agha at 122, Shaheen Afridi at 131 and Raza Ullah at 154. Pakistan were still in trouble with the target of 242 in sight, and it was here that Shadab Khan took control. He finished unbeaten on 113 off 96 balls, hitting 13 fours and five sixes. Saad Baig's 32 off 22 balls, with seven fours, gave the innings early momentum, and Salman Agha's 26 off 49 balls provided the slower middle-order support that kept the pressure building.
England's attack had their moments. Jamie Overton took 3/43 in 10 overs, Liam Dawson returned 2/30 in 10, and Atkinson took 2/62 in nine. Their problem was that Pakistan's innings never fully broke open, and Shadab Khan's unbeaten innings meant there was no moment when England could feel certain. Pakistan finished on 243 for 9 in 47.1 overs, a win by one wicket with 17 balls to spare.
For the Tri-Series, this result moves the competition on from a match that England probably expected to win comfortably. The facts available do not include the points table or the remaining fixtures, so the exact effect on the standings cannot be stated here. What is clear is that Pakistan showed they can win a close chase, and that England will need to address a top order that struggled to build partnerships beyond Duckett.