Rawalpindi, October 20,2026: Arafat Minhas produced a brilliant all-round performance to help Pakistan defeat England by 87 runs in the ongoing ODI tri-series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, securing their second victory in the tournament.
After posting 302-9, Pakistan bowled England out for 215 in 38.4 overs while defending a target of 303. Minhas starred with the ball, claiming six wickets for 40 runs in 8.4 overs, while also contributing a valuable 59 with the bat.
England made a confident start to their chase as openers Tom Banton and Ben Duckett put together a 91-run partnership, finding boundaries regularly against the Pakistani bowlers.
Haris Rauf broke the stand in the 15th over, dismissing Duckett for 45 off 46 balls, including eight boundaries.
Banton continued to anchor the innings and reached his third ODI half-century during a partnership with captain Harry Brook. However, Minhas removed Banton in the 19th over for 57 off 53 deliveries, featuring five fours and two sixes, leaving England at 120-2 in 18.3 overs.
Minhas struck again in the 21st over, dismissing Brook for five to put Pakistan firmly in control.
Sam Curran and Joe Root attempted to stabilise the innings, taking England past 150, but Naseem Shah bowled Root for 33 off 35 balls, including five boundaries, to reduce the visitors to 165-4 in 28.5 overs.
Rauf then dismissed Curran for 27 off 39 deliveries, further damaging England’s hopes of a comeback.
Minhas continued his outstanding spell by removing Jordan Cox for 18 before dismissing Jamie Overton for one. He then claimed two wickets in consecutive deliveries during his ninth over, sending back Will Jacks for 19 and Adil Rashid for a first-ball duck to complete his second five-wicket haul in ODIs.
The all-rounder capped his performance by running out Gus Atkinson following a mix-up, completing England’s innings at 215.
Rauf finished with two wickets, while Naseem claimed one as Pakistan secured a comprehensive victory.
Earlier, half-centuries from Hasan Nawaz and Minhas helped Pakistan recover from an early batting collapse to post a competitive total of 302-9.
Pakistan suffered an immediate setback when Atkinson dismissed Fakhar Zaman off the first ball of the innings. Sonny Baker then removed Saim Ayub for eight after a 31-run partnership for the second wicket.
Babar Azam attempted to rebuild the innings, scoring 34 off 52 deliveries with four boundaries, but Will Jacks dismissed him to leave Pakistan struggling at 59-3 in 14.2 overs.
Salman Ali Agha, who had scored a century in the opening match, managed 16 before falling to Adil Rashid.
Hasan Nawaz and Saad Baig then worked to stabilise the innings, adding 51 runs before Atkinson dismissed Saad for 35 off 54 balls, including five boundaries.
Nawaz counterattacked with fluent strokeplay, registering his second consecutive ODI half-century and helping Pakistan cross the 200-run mark.
Minhas provided valuable support as the pair added 78 runs before Overton bowled Nawaz for 79 off 74 deliveries, including five fours and four sixes.
Minhas continued to build the innings alongside Faheem Ashraf, whose aggressive batting helped Pakistan move beyond 250. Baker eventually dismissed Minhas for 59 off 58 balls, featuring nine boundaries, leaving the hosts at 283-7 after 48 overs.
Faheem contributed a quickfire 39 off 25 deliveries, including five fours and a six, before Curran ended his innings.
Captain Shaheen Afridi struck consecutive boundaries to push Pakistan to 294-8 entering the final over. Baker claimed his third wicket by dismissing Naseem Shah for one, conceding eight runs in the over.
Shaheen remained unbeaten on 10, while Rauf finished not out on four as Pakistan closed their innings at 302-9.
For England, Baker took three wickets, while Atkinson claimed two. Jacks, Overton, Rashid and Curran picked up one wicket apiece.
Pakistan’s recovery with the bat, followed by Minhas’s match-winning bowling display, proved decisive as the hosts registered an emphatic 87-run victory.
