Rawalpindi (GNP): England captain Harry Brook was surprised to learn how young Pakistan all-rounder Arafat Minhas is, after Minhas starred with bat and ball in Pakistan’s 87-run victory in the One Day International (ODI) tri-series on Tuesday.
Minhas was the standout performer at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. He scored a valuable 59 and then took career-best figures of 6-40 to dismantle England’s batting line-up.
Brook’s reaction came at the post-match press conference. He asked whether Minhas was under 21, admitted he had not known, and called him a nice bowler who bowled very well. He added that England had seen videos of Minhas but had faced him very little in international cricket.
Minhas had already shaped the match before he took the ball. Pakistan recovered from 81-4 to post 302-9 after England chose to bowl first. Hasan Nawaz led the recovery with 79 off 74 deliveries, and Minhas added 59 off 58 balls.
Faheem Ashraf contributed a brisk 39 off 26 deliveries and Saad Baig scored 35, which gave Pakistan a challenging target.
England began their chase knowing that dew could make batting easier under the lights. Brook said his side was pleased to hold Pakistan to just over 300 and that the dew did play a part, but Minhas denied England the full benefit of it.
The young spinner took six wickets, including Will Jacks and Adil Rashid off successive deliveries. England were bowled out for 215. Tom Banton made 57 and Ben Duckett 45, but neither could stop Pakistan from taking a second consecutive tournament win. Minhas also ran out Gus Atkinson to complete an all-round display.
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Brook admitted that England could have played the spinner differently. He said the batters were slightly careful against him and that they could put him under more pressure next time. That admission shows how much Minhas’s disciplined bowling and wicket-taking ability pushed the visitors onto the defensive.
For Pakistan, the result strengthens their position in the tri-series after their opening 37-run win over Sri Lanka. It also gives the hosts another encouraging sign of emerging talent able to influence matches in more than one role.
England will now look to recover when they face Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Thursday, 22 October. Pakistan and England meet again in Lahore on 25 October, which gives Brook and his team a chance to test themselves against Minhas once more.
Brook said, “He was a standout performer by a mile.”
