The Sports Guru
England had Pakistan nine wickets down in Lahore and still lost, which raises an uncomfortable question about how this side closes a game. Read on to see how the final stand unfolded, what England did well before it, and why the defeat matters with a World Cup less than a year away.
Pakistan were 154-9 and chasing 242 in Lahore when England had them on the ropes. They still lost by one wicket. Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf put together an unbroken 89 for the last wicket, a figure worked out from the totals: 243 minus 154. For Harry Brook's side it was the second meltdown in consecutive ODIs, three days after they let in 430 against Sri Lanka. Taking nine wickets was never England's problem. Finding the tenth was.
The tenth wicket is a skill of its own
Shadab ended unbeaten on 113 from 96 balls, hitting five sixes and 13 fours. No number eight has made a bigger ODI score. He came to the crease at 103-6 after already sending down seven overs of leg-spin, and from there he picked his moments and punished England's errors.
Rauf scored seven, yet his role shaped the chase as much as any boundary. Their stand took 80 balls and he faced just 19 of them, because Shadab kept finding ways to take the strike. Rauf blocked his first 18 deliveries, then swung at the 19th. It came from debutant Henry Crocombe, went for four and ended the game with 17 balls left.
That split of duties is the real lesson. England crowded the bat to Rauf, set defensive fields for Shadab and gathered for plenty of huddles. None of it brought the wicket. This is analysis rather than reporting, but when the weaker batter is protected so well, a captain's usual tools of fields, bowling changes and chats lose most of their force.
Ninety-seven, a handshake and a tiny edge
The ending had its own theatre. Gus Atkinson hit Shadab on the shin with a low full toss and he was given lbw on 97, with 21 still needed. The players shook hands. Shadab, certain he was gone, asked for a speculative review as he walked off.
DRS picked up a thin inside edge. Shadab put his head in his hands and Rauf embraced him. England had been one decision from victory and technology had snatched it back.
Tempers frayed as well. Will Jacks and Rauf squared up after a Sam Curran bouncer was not called wide, and Joe Root had to step in and steer Rauf away. Rauf might also have been run out by a flick from Tom Banton at mid-on when 18 were still needed. England had openings and missed them.
Good bowling that deserved a better ending
England were dismissed for 241 in 46.4 overs on a pitch that offered no excuses. Only Ben Duckett, Curran and Atkinson got beyond 20. Duckett's 105 from 111 balls was badly needed, given the doubts about his place, while Shaheen took 4-46 for Pakistan.
The bowlers then did what the batters had not. Jamie Overton sent down all 10 overs in one spell and took 3-43, and no England seamer had delivered 10 consecutive overs in the format since 2017. Between them, Duckett and Overton gave England a sound platform from a modest total.
That is why the result stings. In the previous match England's batters set records and the bowlers let the lead slip. Here the bowlers were set to cover for the batting, then faded when it counted. The failures mirror each other, and both come down to an inability to keep control once momentum swings.
Who was missing, and does it explain anything?
England are without Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell on this tour. Adil Rashid has been left out of the XI and Josh Tongue missed out with a toe injury. It is tempting to wonder whether the pace of Archer or Tongue, or Rashid's mystery, would have found the final wicket. That is a "maybe", and it should stay one. Nobody can know how a different attack would have fared against Shadab and Rauf.
What can be said is that England had no obvious change of pace or method to try once the situation tightened. Absences explain part of that. They do not explain why two matches in a row slipped away from commanding positions.
A tournament teaching England to lose
With less than a year to the World Cup, this tri-series was meant to give England a taste of tournament pressure and permutations. They have lost all three matches. The second defeat came when Sri Lanka completed the second-highest chase in ODI history. The third arrived by a single wicket.
England are all but out, and elimination will be confirmed if Sri Lanka beat Pakistan on Tuesday. They could even be knocked out before their final game against Sri Lanka on Thursday. McCullum described the two defeats as "two good lessons". The lessons are real enough, but England must show they have absorbed them before the games stop mattering.
Pakistan, for their part, owe this win to a man who sat out the first two matches of the series. Shadab's innings ranks among the finest by any Pakistan batter in an ODI. England will remember it for the wrong reasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pakistan won by one wicket. England made 241 in 46.4 overs and Pakistan reached 243-9 in 47.1 overs.
Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf added an unbroken 89 for the last wicket, a new record for a final pair winning an ODI. Shadab finished on 113 not out and Rauf made seven.
Ben Duckett scored 105, and Jamie Overton took 3-43 in one 10-over spell, the first England seamer to bowl 10 consecutive ODI overs since 2017.
They are all but out. Elimination will be confirmed if Sri Lanka beat Pakistan on Tuesday, and England face Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Research: This article uses the archived evidence supplied for this story. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.