Young sensation Arafat Minhas snatched the match away from England and turned it into a thumping Pakistan victory. First, he stepped up when Pakistan’s batting was falling apart. Then, when England’s openers threatened to make the chase look easy, he took charge with the ball. Pakistan won by 87 runs, but the final margin barely tells the story of how dramatically Minhas changed this contest.
For Pakistan, the biggest encouragement is having a young all-rounder who can take responsibility in both innings. Against England in Rawalpindi, Minhas delivered precisely when his team needed someone to stand up.
Hasan Nawaz and Arafat Minhas Rescue Pakistan
Batting first, Pakistan lost both openers cheaply, while Babar Azam departed without turning his start into a substantial innings. At 81/4 and then 133/5, even reaching 250 looked far from certain.
That was when Hasan Nawaz and Minhas brought Pakistan back into the contest. Their 78-run partnership gave the innings stability without allowing England to keep complete control. Hasan supplied the attacking intent, while Minhas settled in and ensured another collapse did not follow.
Hasan finished with 79 off 74 balls, but his dismissal still left Pakistan needing a strong finish. Minhas stayed to complete an important half-century, and Faheem Ashraf provided the late acceleration with 39 off 26 balls. Together, their contributions lifted Pakistan to 302/9—a total that had looked a long way off earlier.
England Start Strong, Then Minhas Takes Over
Even with 303 to chase, England initially looked comfortable. Tom Banton and Ben Duckett put on 91 for the opening wicket, finding boundaries and putting Pakistan’s attack under pressure. On a surface where the ball was coming onto the bat, the visitors had every reason to believe the target was within reach.
Haris Rauf removed Duckett, but Banton was already set. Minhas then delivered the breakthrough Pakistan desperately needed, dismissing him for 57 off 53 balls.
His next strike was even more damaging. Harry Brook, a batter capable of taking the game away quickly, was bowled for just five. Minhas had removed a settled opener and England’s captain within his first two overs, changing the direction of the chase.
Joe Root offered resistance before Naseem Shah dismissed him for 33. With England’s experienced batters gone, the responsibility shifted to their middle and lower order—and Minhas gave them no escape.
Jordan Cox and Will Jacks threatened to rebuild, but both fell to the left-arm spinner. Jamie Overton could not make an impact either, and Adil Rashid became Minhas’ sixth victim. He even contributed the run-out that ended England’s innings.
A Performance That Gives Pakistan Real Hope
What stood out was Minhas’ ability to handle two very different demands. With the bat, he had to help repair an innings before contributing to the finish. With the ball, he needed to attack batters who had begun the chase confidently.
His control of line and length kept creating pressure, while Brook’s dismissal showed the threat he could pose to a dangerous batter. The finishing ability highlighted in his domestic cricket now has a major international performance alongside it.
Pakistan have reason to be excited. A young player who can strengthen the lower middle order and take wickets through the middle overs gives the team valuable options. This performance showed Minhas can influence a match in both roles.
Scorecard Summary
| Detail | Score |
|---|---|
| Pakistan | 302/9 in 50 overs |
| Leading Pakistan batters | Hasan Nawaz 79 (74), Arafat Minhas 59 (58), Faheem Ashraf 39 (26) |
| England’s leading wicket-taker | Sonny Baker: 3/65 |
| England | 215 all out in 38.4 overs |
| Leading England batters | Tom Banton 57 (53), Ben Duckett 45 (46), Joe Root 33 (35) |
| Leading Pakistan bowlers | Arafat Minhas: 6/40 in 8.4 overs; Haris Rauf: 2/32 |
| Result | Pakistan won by 87 runs |
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