Pakistan had yet another rollercoaster of an outing, but like they did against Sri Lanka, they managed to pull through in the end, handing England a defeat this time. The middle order stepped up to the occasion once again, with Hasan Nawaz joined by Arafat Minhas and Faheem Ashraf, making up for the top order’s fumbles. The three batters put on 177 runs, steering Pakistan from 133 for 5 to a 303-run target by the end of the innings.
Arafat Minhas leads Pakistan’s bowling attack
The bowlers chipped in with their effort to defend the target, though they returned rather fruitless in the initial phase of the game. The first wicket fell as late as the 15th over, but after that, the Pakistan bowlers, surprisingly including a spinner, Arafat Minhas, kept making regular inroads. Minhas was the bane of England’s existence as he bagged six wickets, taking his second five-wicket haul in only a five-game-old ODI career.
A collapse at the latter end of the innings took England from 197 for 6 to 215 all out, with all the wickets except one falling to Minhas. The one wicket that didn’t fall to his bowling was a run-out executed by him nevertheless. Minhas became just the third Pakistan player after Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi to score 50+ runs and bag a five wickets or more in a single game.
Pakistan move further ahead in the points table
Pakistan remain at the top of the table, but England, losing to the hosts by 87 runs, are now at the bottom, going below Sri Lanka, who lost by a 37-run margin on Sunday. The two visiting teams will be up against each other next on October 22 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, after which the tri-series will shift to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Pakistan ODI Tri-series Updated Points Table
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Arafat Minhas upends England with a six-fer to get Pakistan over the line- IPL