Arafat Minhas, Hasan Nawaz star as Pakistan beat England by 87 runs

Pakistan secured their second consecutive victory in the ODI tri-series after defeating England by 87 runs at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday with Arafat Minhas delivering a remarkable all-round performance and Hasan Nawaz contributing a crucial half-century

Pakistan secured their second consecutive victory in the ODI tri-series after defeating England by 87 runs at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday with Arafat Minhas delivering a remarkable all-round performance and Hasan Nawaz contributing a crucial half-century.

Batting first after England elected to field Pakistan recovered from an early collapse to post 302-9. Hasan led the scoring with 79 off 74 balls including five fours and four sixes while Arafat added 59 from 58 deliveries striking nine boundaries.

Pakistan struggled early as Gus Atkinson dismissed Fakhar Zaman for a first-ball duck while Sonny Baker removed Saim Ayub for eight. Babar Azam scored 34 before Will Jacks bowled him and Salman Agha departed for 16 as Pakistan slipped to 81-4.

Saad Baig attempted to rebuild the innings with 35 from 54 balls but fell to Atkinson leaving the hosts at 133-5 in the 28th over.

Hasan and Arafat then turned the match around with a 78-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Their contributions helped Pakistan regain momentum before Faheem Ashraf delivered a late burst scoring 39 off just 26 balls with five fours and a six. Pakistan collected 52 runs in the final five overs to finish with a competitive total.

Baker claimed three wickets for 65 runs while Atkinson took