Pakistan Triumphs Over England by 87 Runs in Triangular Series Match
In a thrilling match, Pakistan defeated England by 87 runs, with Arafat Minhas shining with both bat and ball.
Rawalpindi, October 20 (Daily Kiran) : Pakistan secured a decisive 87-run victory over England in the second match of the Triangular Series held at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 20, 2026. Arafat Minhas was named Player of the Match after scoring 59 runs and taking six wickets for 40 runs. With this win, Pakistan leads the points table with four points, while both Sri Lanka and England have lost their opening matches.
Batting first after losing the toss, Pakistan posted a total of 302 runs, losing nine wickets in their allotted 50 overs. The innings started poorly for Pakistan as they lost Fakhar Zaman for a duck on the very first ball. However, Babar Azam and Sam Ayub managed to stabilize the innings, adding 31 runs for the second wicket.
Ayub departed after scoring 8 runs off six balls, and Sadaf Baig formed partnerships with Babar Azam (34) for 28 runs, and with Salman Agha (16) for 22 runs, helping the team reach 133 runs. Sadaf Baig contributed 35 runs before Arafat Minhas joined Hasan Nawaz, and together they added 78 runs for the sixth wicket. Nawaz scored 79 runs off 74 balls, hitting four sixes and five fours.
Minhas made a significant impact with his bat, scoring 59 runs with nine boundaries. He also partnered with Faheem Ashraf for 72 runs off 49 balls, pushing Pakistan to a formidable total. Faheem Ashraf chipped in with 39 runs. From the English side, Sony Baker took the most wickets, claiming three, while Gus Atkinson picked up two.
In response, England was bowled out for just 215 runs in 38.4 overs. Tom Banton (57) and Ben Duckett (45) provided a solid start with a 91-run partnership for the first wicket. However, England faced a batting collapse, losing wickets at regular intervals. By the time they reached 205 runs, they had lost seven wickets.
In a dramatic turn, England lost three wickets in the 39th over, with Will Jacks (19), Adil Rashid (0), and Gus Atkinson (7) falling quickly. Arafat Minhas was the star with the ball, taking six wickets in 8.4 overs, while Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah claimed two and one wickets, respectively.
