Pakistan continued their upward journey in white-ball cricket as they thrashed England by 87 runs in the second match of the ODI tri-series in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
Arafat Minhas put in a record all-round performance to hand Pakistan their second win of the tournament.
The hosts batted first and posted 302-9, with contributions from almost their entire line-up. Pakistan's Asian Games final star Hasan Nawaz (79) and Minhas (59) led the way as the team in green crossed the 300-run mark.
In reply, England made a strong start as openers Ben Duckett and Tom Banton added 91 for the first wicket. At 165-3 in the 29th over, England seemed on track. But left-arm spinner Minhas turned the game on its head.
Minhas ran through the middle and lower order on a responsive pitch, finishing with figures of 6-40 as England were bundled out for 215.
It turned out to be one of the finest all-round performances in ODI cricket history.
Minhas became only the seventh player to score fifty or more runs and pick up six or more wickets in the same match.
Minhas had shown glimpses of his potential earlier in the year during the Pakistan Super League while playing for Multan Sultans, taking nine wickets at an economy of under nine in 10 matches.
His younger brother and flamboyant opener Sameer has been talked about more often but the older Minhas, still only 21, has the more well-rounded game, which makes him versatile and a ready-made replacement for the likes of Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan.
Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Afridi said Minhas is a complete cricketer in both aspects of the game.
“[Minhas] is a very good talent. He is not just a bowling all-rounder or a batting all-rounder; he is a proper all-rounder. I think the way he started his innings in batting and then delivered in bowling, it's good for us. Hopefully he will deliver in many more games,” the left-arm seamer said.
Pakistan have now won five out of eight ODIs this year and 11 out of 17 T20 Internationals. While they haven't won any major ICC tournaments in nearly a decade, the new crop of players are putting in performances that make the team a serious challenger for upcoming world events like the 2027 ODI World Cup and the 2028 T20 World Cup and LA Olympics.
“As a team, we did some good things, but we need to improve. Our preparation for the World Cup, how we built this team, the way our fast bowlers bowled, and then Arafat as well … I think it was a good sign for us,” Afridi added.
Pakistan had won the preceding T20 series against Sri Lanka following their commendable run at the Asian Games where they lost a close final to India.
