Saud Shakeel was unlucky to miss out on a deserving century at Lord’s on Sunday (August 30), but his knock of 97 runs from 122 balls for Pakistan in the second innings of the ongoing second Test against England helped him enter the record books.
Shakeel now holds the record for the highest score by a Pakistani batter in the fourth innings of a Test match in England. He scored five more runs than former Pakistan opener Salman Butt, who made 92 off 173 balls against Australia at Lord’s in July 2010.
Had Shakeel managed to score three more runs, he would have become the first Pakistani cricketer to score a century in the fourth innings of a Test match in England.
Highest scores by Pakistan batters in fourth innings of a Test in England
| PLAYER | RUNS | BALLS | 4s | 6s | AGAINST | VENUE | START DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saud Shakeel | 97 | 122 | 13 | 2 | England | Lord’s | August 27, 2026 |
| Salman Butt | 92 | 173 | 15 | 0 | Australia | Lord’s | July 13, 2010 |
| Sadiq Mohammad | 91 | 220 | 16 | 0 | England | Leeds | July 8, 1971 |
| Sami Aslam | 70 | 167 | 11 | 0 | England | Birmingham | August 3, 2016 |
| Imran Farhat | 67 | 95 | 9 | 0 | Australia | Leeds | July 21, 2010 |
| Imran Khan | 65 | 103 | 6 | 2 | England | Birmingham | July 29, 1982 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | 56* | 111 | 6 | 0 | England | Lord’s | July 13, 2006 |
| Azhar Ali | 51 | 108 | 6 | 0 | Australia | Leeds | July 21, 2010 |
A total of seven
Indian batters and one Sri Lankan have scored centuries in the fourth innings of a Test match in England, but no Pakistani batter has managed to achieve the feat.
Highest scores by Asian batters in fourth innings of a Test in England
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | RUNS | BALLS | 4s | 6s | AGAINST | VENUE | START DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunil Gavaskar | India | 221 | 443 | 21 | 0 | England | The Oval | August 30, 1979 |
| KL Rahul | India | 149 | 224 | 20 | 1 | England | The Oval | September 7, 2018 |
| Pathum Nissanka | Sri Lanka | 127* | 124 | 13 | 2 | England | The Oval | September 6, 2024 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 119* | 189 | 17 | 0 | England | Manchester | August 9, 1990 |
| Polly Umrigar | India | 118 | – | 13 | 0 | England | Manchester | July 23, 1959 |
| Rishabh Pant | India | 114 | 146 | 15 | 4 | England | The Oval | September 7, 2018 |
| Abbas Ali Baig | India | 112 | – | 12 | 0 | England | Manchester | July 23, 1959 |
| Ajit Agarkar | India | 109* | 190 | 16 | 0 | England | Lord’s | July 25, 2002 |
| Saud Shakeel | Pakistan | 97 | 122 | 13 | 2 | England | Lord’s | August 27, 2026 |
A century on Sunday would also have made Shakeel only the second Asian cricketer after Ajit Agarkar to score a hundred in the fourth innings of a Test at Lord’s. Agarkar had scored 109 runs for India in the fourth innings of the July 2002 Test against England at the Home of Cricket.
Highest scores by Asian batters in fourth innings of a Test at Lord’s
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | RUNS | BALLS | 4s | 6s | AGAINST | START DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajit Agarkar | India | 109* | 190 | 16 | 0 | England | 25 Jul 2002 |
| Saud Shakeel | Pakistan | 97 | 122 | 13 | 2 | England | 27 Aug 2026 |
| Salman Butt | Pakistan | 92 | 173 | 15 | 0 | Australia | 13 Jul 2010 |
| Suresh Raina | India | 78 | 136 | 10 | 0 | England | 21 Jul 2011 |
| MS Dhoni | India | 76* | 159 | 10 | 0 | England | 19 Jul 2007 |
The 30-year-old left-handed batter from Karachi is only the second Pakistani batter to score a half-century in the ongoing series against England. Before him, Abdullah Shafique scored 61 runs for Pakistan in the first innings of the first Test at Headingley in Leeds.
