One wicket left, no surrender: is the old Pakistan team back?

There was a time when you could never write Pakistan off until the final ball. No matter how hopeless the situation looked, you always had a little hope that someone would pull off something extraordinary. That was the charm of Pakistan cricket. They could frustrate you one moment and have you jumping out of your seat the next.

Over the years, that feeling seemed to fade. Too often, collapses became familiar, and matches slipped away before you could imagine a comeback.

Then came Sunday.

With nine wickets down against England, Pakistan were on the verge of defeat. It looked like another game had slipped out of their hands. But Shadab Khan had other ideas. His unbeaten 113 off 96 balls turned the match on its head and gave Pakistan a remarkable one-wicket victory.

As I watched him take Pakistan over the line, my mind went back to the teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Those sides had their flaws, too, but they had a knack for making the impossible seem possible. Never say die wasn’t just a phrase associated with them. It was a feeling you carried into the final overs, even when the odds were against Pakistan.

Is the old Pakistan team back? It would be premature to say so. But this tri-nation tournament has offered a glimpse of something that has been missing for a while.

Different matches, different heroes

What makes Pakistan’s start to the tournament interesting is that Shadab’s heroics haven’t come in isolation. In each of their first three matches, a different set of players has stepped up.

Against Sri Lanka, Salman Ali Agha’s 107 off 90 balls helped Pakistan post 305. Sri Lanka threatened a comeback through Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage, but Pakistan’s bowlers held their nerve to secure a 37-run win.

The next match against England presented a different challenge. Pakistan were struggling at 81 for four before Hasan Nawaz scored 79 and Arafat Minhas added 59, helping the team reach 302 for nine. England looked comfortable at 91 without losing a wicket, but Arafat’s six-wicket haul turned the game around. England were bowled out for 215, giving Pakistan an 87-run victory.

Sunday’s match, however, was something else altogether. At 154 for nine, Pakistan needed a miracle. Shadab provided it, with Haris Rauf playing a crucial supporting role as the pair put together an 89-run last-wicket partnership.

These were three very different games, won in different ways. Not every victory was a thriller, but each showed that Pakistan had players willing to take responsibility when the situation demanded it.

That is encouraging in itself. Teams are stronger when match-winning performances can come from different corners of the dressing room.

A reminder of Abdul Razzaq’s famous night

If Shadab’s innings stirred memories of Pakistan’s old fighting spirit, Abdul Razzaq’s extraordinary performance against South Africa in Abu Dhabi in 2010 is hard to forget.

Chasing 287, Pakistan had slipped to 136 for five. The match appeared to be getting away from them, but Razzaq produced one of the finest ODI innings of his career. He smashed an unbeaten 109 off just 72 balls, hitting seven fours and 10 sixes.

Even as wickets continued to fall, Razzaq refused to give up. With Shoaib Akhtar alongside him, he guided Pakistan to 289 for nine, winning the match by one wicket with one ball remaining.

It was the kind of innings that made you question everything you thought you knew about a match that seemed all but over.

Shadab’s knock belongs in a different context, but the emotion was familiar. With Pakistan down to their last wicket, he kept his composure, trusted his game and found a way to win. These are the performances that stay with supporters long after the scorecard has been forgotten.

A good start, but a long way to go

Pakistan supporters have seen enough false dawns to know better than to declare a revival after three matches. Consistency has been the bigger challenge, and one memorable victory cannot erase years of frustration.

Still, there are reasons to be optimistic about this start. Salman Ali Agha delivered against Sri Lanka. Hasan Nawaz and Arafat Minhas made important contributions against England. Then Shadab and Haris Rauf pulled off a stunning finish.

It is not just about winning. It is about seeing players respond to pressure instead of allowing a difficult situation to dictate the outcome.

The Pakistan teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s weren’t unbeatable. They could be unpredictable and maddening, too. But they often gave supporters a reason to keep watching because a comeback never seemed entirely out of reach.

Whether this side can develop that same resilience over a longer period remains to be seen. The real test will come when the next setback arrives.

Maybe it is too early, but it feels good

Shadab deserves the spotlight. Scoring an unbeaten 113 with one wicket left is an extraordinary achievement, and his partnership with Haris Rauf made Sunday’s win one to remember.

But the bigger takeaway from Pakistan’s opening three matches is that the contributions have been spread around. Different players have stepped up, and the team has found different ways to win.

That doesn’t mean the old Pakistan is back. Not yet.

But for those of us who grew up watching the team of the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sunday’s finish brought back a feeling we had almost stopped expecting.

Maybe this is only the beginning of a good run. Maybe it will take more than a few wins to bring back that old identity. For now, though, Shadab has given Pakistan supporters something they can enjoy without overthinking it.

With one wicket left, Pakistan refused to surrender. And sometimes, that is a pretty good place to start.

The article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Recorder or its owners.