ODI Tri-Series: All-round Minhas helps Pakistan crush England
What's the story
Pakistan's Arafat Minhas delivered a stellar all-round performance in the first match of the tri-series against England. He scored an impressive 59 runs off 58 balls and then took six wickets, leading his team to an emphatic 87-run victory. The match was held at Rawalpindi and saw Pakistan post a total of 302 runs after losing half their side for just 133 runs.
Game changer
Pakistan post a strong total after a shaky start
The finishing trio of Hasan Nawaz, Minhas, and Faheem Ashraf helped Pakistan breach the 300-run mark.
This was despite a shaky start where Fakhar Zaman was dismissed on the first ball of the contest.
Babar Azam started well but was eventually castled by Will Jacks as England took control of the match after Salman Agha's top edge while attempting a slog sweep left Pakistan reeling at 81/4.
Comeback
A solid partnership between Nawaz and Baig
Nawaz and Saad Baig rebuilt Pakistan's innings with a 78-run partnership.
Nawaz hit two sixes in three balls to bring up his 50.
Despite losing Baig to Gus Atkinson, Nawaz kept the momentum going until Jamie Overton ended his innings with an excellent yorker.
Minhas then partnered with Faheem Ashraf as they went on a boundary-hitting spree, putting England under pressure toward the end of their innings.
Turnaround
England lose momentum after strong opening
England's openers started their chase aggressively, with Tom Banton and Ben Duckett putting up a 91-run partnership in no time.
However, Pakistan's Haris Rauf gave them the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Duckett for 45 runs.
Minhas then struck again by taking out a well-set Banton, triggering an England collapse that saw them lose wickets at regular intervals.
Match summary
Minhas's 6-fer seals the deal for Pakistan
Despite a brief resistance from Joe Root and Sam Curran, England's innings crumbled under pressure.
Naseem Shah took out Root while Curran miscued a pull shot to leave at a crucial juncture.
The last five wickets added just 38 runs as Minhas wreaked havoc with the ball, claiming six wickets for just 40 runs in his spell.
This all-round performance was instrumental in Pakistan securing an emphatic 87-run victory over England in Rawalpindi.