Pakistan secured an emphatic 87-run victory over England in their ODI tri-series encounter at Rawalpindi on Tuesday, with Arafat Minhas delivering an outstanding all-round performance to dismantle the visitors’ batting line-up.
Chasing a challenging target of 303, England made an impressive start as openers Tom Banton (57) and Ben Duckett (45) put together a 91-run partnership inside 15 overs.
However, Pakistan’s bowlers staged a remarkable comeback, dismissing England for 215 in 38.4 overs.
Minhas emerged as the standout performer, claiming six wickets for just 40 runs after earlier scoring his maiden ODI half-century.
England captain Harry Brook managed only five runs, falling to a brilliant delivery from Minhas. Joe Root contributed 33, while Sam Curran added 27, but neither could prevent the batting collapse.
England lost their final seven wickets for just 50 runs as Pakistan tightened their grip on the contest.
Minhas played a decisive role in the closing stages, dismissing Will Jacks and Adil Rashid off consecutive deliveries before running out Gus Atkinson to seal the victory.
He also removed Jamie Overton and Jordan Cox, completing one of the most influential all-round performances of the match.
Earlier, Pakistan had struggled after being asked to bat first, slipping to 81-4 before recovering to post a competitive 302-9 in 50 overs.
Hasan Nawaz led the recovery with 79 runs from 74 deliveries, while Minhas contributed a valuable 59 off 58 balls.
Faheem Ashraf provided late momentum with a brisk 39 from 26 deliveries, helping Pakistan cross the 300-run mark.
For England, Sonny Baker claimed three wickets for 65 runs, while Gus Atkinson finished with figures of 2-35.
Pakistan’s bowling attack then capitalised on England’s middle-order collapse, with Haris Rauf taking two wickets for 32 runs in support of Minhas.
The 87-run victory gave Pakistan a strong result in the tri-series, while England suffered a disappointing start despite having won their previous three bilateral ODI series.
Arafat Minhas was named Player of the Match for his 59-run innings and match-winning six-wicket haul.
England will look to recover when they face Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Thursday.