Arafat Minhas takes 6 wickets and scores fifty as Pakistan beat England by 87 runs

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan beat England by 87 runs in the second match of the tri-nation series. England last toured Pakistan for an ODI series in 2005, so they are playing such a series after 21 years. The hero of the win was Arafat Minhas, a 21-year-old left-arm spinner and all-rounder, who was named Man of the Match.

Pakistan’s batting was in trouble, with five wickets down for 133 in 27.3 overs. Arafat then put on a stand of 78 with Hasan Nawaz. Hasan Nawaz scored 79 off 74 balls, while Arafat made 59 off 58 balls with the help of nine fours. A further 72 runs were added with Faheem Ashraf, who scored 39, and Pakistan made 302 for 9.

In reply, England had reached 117 for one in 18 overs, but Arafat took 6 wickets for 40 runs in 8.4 overs. His victims included captain Harry Brook, as well as Adil Rashid, Will Jacks and Jamie Overton. England’s remaining nine wickets fell for just 98 runs and the whole team was bowled out for 215.

According to the ICC, Arafat is the third Pakistani man to score a fifty and take five wickets in the same ODI, after Shahid Afridi (three times) and Abdul Razzaq (once). It was the 25th time this feat has been achieved in men’s ODIs. It was his 12th international and fifth ODI match. On his debut against Australia in May, he took five wickets for 32 runs and became the first Pakistani male cricketer to take five wickets on ODI debut.

Arafat said his plan was simple, that the pitch was slightly slow, which helped him, and that he has worked on his variations. Captain Shaheen Afridi called him talented and a complete all-rounder, and said the team’s preparations are being made with next year’s World Cup in mind.

England captain Harry Brook said Tom Banton and Ben Duckett gave a good start, but wickets fell in a cluster and no partnership could be built. He said the team was overly cautious against the spinners. The next Pakistan-England match in the series will be played in Lahore on 25 October, while the final will be played on 31 October.