Pakistan defeat England by 87 runs in ODI tri-series opener
Arafat Minhas took six for 40 as Pakistan beat England by 87 runs in the ODI tri-series opener at Rawalpindi.
Pakistan put on 302 for eight after England chose to bowl at Rawalpindi on Tuesday. They then rolled England for 215 in 38.4 overs, with Arafat Minhas taking six for 40 — his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.
England looked set at 91 for none after 15 overs, but lost their last ten wickets for 124 runs. Openers Ben Duckett and Tom Banton each made 47 without pushing on. Joe Root scored 33 and Sam Curran 27 before Arafat finished with the final five wickets. The last seven went for only 50.
The visitors meet Sri Lanka here on Thursday; the top two sides advance to the final in Lahore on 31 October.
CricHubb Take
England's middle order still has no answer to wrist-spin on slower surfaces, and Pakistan will look to exploit that again in the three-match series.