Arafat Minhas Stars as Pakistan Beat England by 87 Runs

Arafat Minhas delivered a match-winning all-round performance as Pakistan defeated England by 87 runs in their One-Day International tri-series encounter at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The left-arm spinner scored a vital half-century before taking six wickets to dismantle England’s chase on Tuesday evening.

Pakistan recovered from a difficult start to post 302 for nine from their 50 overs. England appeared capable of challenging that total after their openers produced a rapid 91-run partnership, but the innings collapsed once Pakistan’s bowlers began striking regularly through the middle overs.

Arafat finished with six wickets for 40 runs in 8.4 overs and also completed the final dismissal with a direct-hit run-out. England were bowled out for 215 in 38.4 overs, giving Pakistan a commanding victory after the visitors had initially built a strong platform.

Tom Banton led England’s early charge with 57 from 53 deliveries, while Ben Duckett contributed 45 from 46 balls. Haris Rauf ended the opening partnership by removing Duckett, and Arafat dismissed Banton shortly afterwards to begin a decisive period for Pakistan.

England captain Harry Brook fell for five when Arafat breached his defence, while Naseem Shah bowled Joe Root for 33. Sam Curran and Jordan Cox attempted to rebuild the innings, but neither could form the substantial partnership England needed as the required scoring rate continued to rise.

Arafat then removed Cox, Jamie Overton, Will Jacks and Adil Rashid to complete his six-wicket haul. Haris collected two wickets and Naseem claimed one, while Pakistan’s fielding ended the contest when Arafat recovered from a fumble and hit the stumps with both remaining England batters stranded at one end.

Pakistan’s innings had earlier started badly when Gus Atkinson dismissed Fakhar Zaman from the first ball. Saim Ayub departed for eight, Babar Azam made 34 and captain Salman Ali Agha scored 16 as the hosts slipped to 81 for four. Saad Baig and Hasan Nawaz steadied the innings with a 52-run partnership before Saad was dismissed for 35.

Hasan and Arafat then transformed the match with a 78-run sixth-wicket stand. Hasan struck 79 from 74 balls, including five fours and four sixes, while Arafat compiled 59 from 58 deliveries with nine boundaries. Their partnership lifted Pakistan from 133 for five and created the platform for a total exceeding 300.

Faheem Ashraf added late momentum with 39 from 26 balls, and Shaheen Shah Afridi contributed an unbeaten 10 from five deliveries. Pakistan collected 91 runs from the final 10 overs despite losing wickets, placing England under immediate pressure to maintain a demanding scoring rate throughout the chase.

Arafat said after receiving the player-of-the-match award that the slower surface had provided greater assistance to spin than the pitch used in the preceding game. He also credited his variations and straightforward tactical approach for helping him deceive England’s batters.

The result gives Pakistan confidence in the depth of their middle order and the effectiveness of their spin options. England, meanwhile, will need to address the cluster of middle-order dismissals that erased their strong start as both teams prepare for the remaining tri-series fixtures.