England crumbled to an 87-run defeat in their ODI tri-series opener against Pakistan in Rawalpindi as the batting severely malfunctioned after an excellent start.
England, who have won their last three bilateral ODI series, were cruising on 91-0 inside 15 overs in a chase of 303, only to end up being bowled out for 215 in 38.4 as home spinner Arafat Minhas backed up his maiden ODI half-century with figures of 6-40.
Visiting captain Harry Brook (5) was bowled by a beauty from Arafat after openers Ben Duckett (47) and Tom Banton (47) failed to build on a rollicking opening stand against a Pakistan side who rallied from 81-4 earlier in the day having being put in to bat.
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Ben Duckett and Tom Banton smashed 91 for England’s first wicket in Rawalpindi before falling for 45 and 57 respectively
The tourists then wilted once the hosts snapped a patient stand of 31 from 57 balls between Joe Root (33) and Sam Curran (27) from 128-3 with Arafat on a hat-trick once he removed Will Jacks (19) and Adil Rashid (1) from successive deliveries in the 39th over before he ran out Gus Atkinson (7) two balls later to clinch victory.
Arafat snared each of the final five wickets, including Jamie Overton (1), who holed out at long-on in what commentator Stuart Broad described as “an appalling dismissal”, and Cox lbw for 18.
England – who lost their last seven wickets for 50 runs – are back in action against Sri Lanka at the same venue on Thursday (9am UK) in a tournament which sees the three sides play each other twice before the top two teams in the table meet in a final in Lahore on Saturday October 31.
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the first game of the tournament on Sunday.
England strike from first ball of the match
Brook’s men – whose feast of white-ball cricket continues in Australia in November with three ODIs and five T20s – were on top at various points on Tuesday, starting from the very first ball when Atkinson (2-35) had Fakhar Zaman (0) caught at midwicket.
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Atkinson struck from the first ball of the match as Fakhar Zaman chipped low to Joe Root at short midwicket
Fakhar, pouched low by Root, was one of four batters to fall inside 19 overs, with opening partner Saim Ayub (8) bounced out by seamer Sonny Baker (3-65) after being starved of the strike and Babar Azam (34) bowled playing back to off-spinner Will Jacks.
When leg-spinner Rashid, back from a hand injury that saw him miss the 2-1 win at home to Sri Lanka in September, had Salman Ali Agha – a centurion against Sri Lanka on Sunday – caught sweeping a full toss, you wondered if Pakistan would bat out the overs.
But Shaheen Shah Afridi’s side managed that thanks to a middle and lower-order counterattack led by Hasan Nawaz (79 off 74), who pumped his first ball, bowled by Rashid, for six amid nine boundaries all told during his second ODI fifty.
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Jamie Overton’s brilliant yorker cleaned up Pakistan’s Hasan Nawaz for 79 from 74 deliveries on Tuesday
The 24-year-old shared fifty stands with Arafat (59), who completed a maiden international half-century, and Saad Baig (35), while there was then an alliance of 72 from just 49 deliveries between Arafat and Faheem Ashraf (39 off 26).
England sloppy in the field before fluffing lines with the bat
England, who conceded 80 runs from the final eight overs, dropped three catches – Atkinson with one of them and Jordan Cox, deputising as wicketkeeper for the injured Jos Buttler (hamstring), guilty of two – while Curran (1-40 off five overs) looked rusty with the ball having not played since The Hundred in August owing to a groin problem.
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Atkinson atoned for a mis-field and a dropped catch by having Saad Baig caught for 35, by Surrey team-mate Curran
Pakistan’s total was looking ever so lean as Banton and Duckett fired early on – Banton notching his third successive fifty-plus score on the trot and third in four knocks since replacing Jacob Bethell (knee) at the top of the order.
However, when Duckett was bounced out by Haris Rauf and Arafat had Banton cloth to midwicket and castled Brook with a peach that straightened after gripping, the wobble was well and truly on.
Root and Curran stemmed Pakistan’s fightback initially, only for Root to be poleaxed by a Naseem ball that kept low and Curran to heave Rauf to deep backward square.
Then it got grisly.
Watch England’s next tri-series match, against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 8.30am on Thursday (9am first ball). Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract through NOW – cancel anytime.
ODI tri-series results and schedule
All games live on Sky Sports; all times UK and Ireland
- October 18 – Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs (Rawalpindi)
- October 20 – Pakistan beat England by 87 runs (Rawalpindi)
- October 22 (9am) – Sri Lanka vs England (Rawalpindi)
- October 25 (8am) – Pakistan vs England (Lahore)
- October 27 (8am) – Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Lahore)
- October 29 (8am) – Sri Lanka vs England (Lahore)
- October 31 (8am) – Final (Lahore)