Arafat Minhas delivered a dream all-round performance as Pakistan crushed England by 87 runs in their first game of the ODI tri-series in Rawalpindi. The all-rounder walked in at a critical juncture to power Pakistan to 302 for 9 with a maiden ODI fifty, before ripping through the England lineup with a six-wicket haul that floored the visitors for 215 in 38.4 overs.
Batting first, Pakistan clawed their way back after losing half their side with just 133 on the board. Fakhar Zaman flicked the first ball of the contest straight to short midwicket, and while Babar Azam made an exquisite start with a flurry of boundaries, Saim Ayub fell for 8 after top-edging a shortish delivery from Sonny Baker. Babar then went into a shell and was eventually castled by Will Jacks, and when Salman Agha top-edged a slog sweep, England had seized complete control at 81 for 4.
Hasan Nawaz changed the tone instantly, hammering his first ball for six, and rebuilt alongside Saad Baig. Although Gus Atkinson returned to remove Baig and leave Pakistan staring at further trouble, the hosts thrived on an excellent 78-run stand. Nawaz smashed two sixes in the space of three balls before bringing up his fifty, while Minhas took Sam Curran for three fours in an over as Pakistan gained momentum heading into the slog overs. A superb yorker from Jamie Overton ended Nawaz’s 79-run heroics, but Minhas found support from Faheem Ashraf, and the duo went on a boundary-hitting spree to put England under pressure at the death. Minhas brought up his maiden ODI fifty with a hat-trick of boundaries before departing for 59, and late hits from Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf dragged the total beyond 300.
England’s chase began cautiously with just nine runs from the first three overs, but the openers soon put Pakistan on the back foot. Tom Banton slammed Naseem Shah for two sixes and a four in the same over to bring up the fifty partnership, and the assault continued beyond the Powerplay as England raced to 80 for 0 after just 12 overs. Haris Rauf then provided the breakthrough Pakistan desperately needed, removing Ben Duckett for 45, before Minhas dismissed the well-set Banton for 57 — the wicket that triggered a collapse. Minhas also castled Harry Brook, and though Joe Root and Sam Curran steadied the ship briefly, Naseem Shah shattered Root’s stumps and Curran miscued a pull at a crucial juncture. England’s final five wickets added just 38 runs as Minhas ran riot to finish with 6 for 40.
Brief scores: Pakistan 302/9 in 50 overs (Hasan Nawaz 79, Arafat Minhas 59; Sonny Baker 3-65) beat England 215 in 38.4 overs (Tom Banton 57, Ben Duckett 45; Arafat Minhas 6-40) by 87 runs.
Original Source: https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/140591/arafat-minhas-dream-outing-crushes-england
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Publish Date: 2026-10-21 06:26:00
