England stumbled right out of the gate in their opening one-day international tri-series match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, getting absolutely floored by an incredible all-round performance from Arafat Minhas. It was a sloppy start to their winter tours, and Minhas took full advantage, first with the bat, then absolutely bamboozling England with his left-arm spin. Pakistan took the win by a huge 87 runs.
England’s Errors Paved the Way for Pakistan’s Power Hitting
Asked to bat first, Pakistan was sitting at 190-5 in the 37th over when England’s mistakes started piling up. Wicketkeeper Jordan Cox put down Arafat when he was only on 12, just one of three catches England dropped in the innings. That was a brutal miss, because Arafat absolutely punished them for it. He went on to make a crucial 59 with the bat, adding to Hasan Nawaz’s powerful 79. That partnership helped lift Pakistan to a formidable total of 302-9 in their 50 overs. You just cannot give good players that many chances, especially not on a flat pitch at home.
Minhas’ Magical Spin Shreds England’s Chase
Chasing what would have been the second-highest score to win an ODI at Rawalpindi Stadium, England came out firing with a rapid start. But then, more errors crept in, and Pakistan capitalized hard. At 91-0, Ben Duckett top-edged a pull to depart for 45, and then came the crucial blow: Tom Banton, after making a quick 57, shoveled Arafat’s long hop to mid-wicket and was caught. Arafat’s incredible performance just kept rolling. He bowled England captain Harry Brook for five with a beautiful delivery, and Naseem Shah got one to keep low to bowl Joe Root for 33. When Cox was out lbw and Jamie Overton holed out, both off Arafat, England was just totally flawed. They absolutely spluttered to 215 all out, losing their last seven wickets for a mere 50 runs, capped off by a calamitous run out of Gus Atkinson. Arafat finished with a sensational 6-40, the best figures by a Pakistan spinner in an ODI against England, and even capped it off by running out Atkinson. What an absolute masterclass.
This tri-series opener was also the start of England’s long run-in to the 50-over World Cup next year. They’ve improved in ODI cricket this year, winning their three previous series, and sure, they were without Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Jacob Bethell. But this was a game they truly could have won if they hadn’t squandered so many opportunities. Cox dropped two catches, Sonny Baker was expensive with the new ball, and Banton had the platform to make a huge score but couldn’t convert. You just gotta convert those chances when they come.
Pakistan, on the other hand, looks like a vastly different team on home soil in this format. They fought back from 133-5 in the 28th over, with Nawaz’s slog-sweep for six from the first ball he faced sparking a real turnaround. Along with Arafat and Faheem Ashraf, Nawaz carried Pakistan to what seemed like a competitive total, which Arafat then made look absolutely massive under the night sky.
Pakistan now has two wins from two in the tri-series and is already on the brink of the final. England, meanwhile, needs to regroup fast. They next play Sri Lanka at the same ground on Thursday, both sides desperately looking for their first victory in the series. It’s a huge game for England, they need to show they can shake off this sloppy start and actually compete if they want to make some noise this winter and heading into the World Cup.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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