Minhas stars with bat and ball as Pakistan crush England in tri-series

Arafat Minhas delivered a stellar all-round performance as Pakistan secured an impressive 87-run victory over England in the opening match of the one-day international tri-series in Rawalpindi. Playing in only his fifth ODI, the 21-year-old rescued Pakistan's innings with a vital half-century from number seven before dismantling the English batting lineup with astonishing figures of six for 40.

Pakistan endured a lethargic start after losing early wickets, stumbling to 81 for four as Will Jacks kept the run flow in check with his off-spin. However, Hasan Nawaz spearheaded a recovery with a powerful 79, while Minhas contributed 59 off 58 balls to lift the total to 302. Faheem Ashraf added a quickfire 39 off 26 deliveries as Pakistan collected 91 runs from the final ten overs.

England began their run chase briskly, with Tom Banton hitting 57 and putting on 91 for the first wicket alongside Ben Duckett. A solid position of 165 for three quickly unravelled, though, as Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah struck through the middle order to expose the visitors' vulnerabilities against spin.

Minhas then took centre stage with his left-arm spin, clean bowling Harry Brook for five with a turning delivery that rattled the off stump. The youngster continued his spell of dominance by trapping batters in front and picking up regular wickets as England crumbled to 215 all out.

Fittingly, Minhas brought an end to the contest with a direct hit to run out Gus Atkinson with 11.2 overs to spare. The comprehensive win provided a much-needed boost for Pakistan in front of their home supporters in a format they find far more comfortable.

England captain Harry Brook admitted his side struggled to handle the turning ball effectively. "We were probably a little bit too careful against the spinners," Brook conceded, noting that his team needed to figure out how to navigate run chases more assertively after relying heavily on batting first earlier in the year.