Pakistan overtake Australia in ICC ODI rankings after Arafat Minhas heroics

Dubai, October 20, 2026 - Arafat Minhas delivered a remarkable all-round performance as Pakistan secured a 87-run victory over England in an ODI tri-series match at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. The 21-year-old opened the scoring with his maiden half-century in ODIs before claiming six wickets, contributing to England's final total of 215 in 38.4 overs.

Although England began their chase strongly, amassing 91 runs without loss, the situation turned against them when Minhas removed Ben Duckett and Tom Banton in quick succession. He continued to dismantle the middle and lower order, dismissing Will Jacks and Adil Rashid before England's eventual collapse. Joe Root and Sam Curran contributed 33 and 27 runs respectively, but Minhas' relentless bowling proved decisive.

Gus Atkinson completed England's downfall, being run out for seven. Pakistan's Hasan Nawaz scored 79 runs off 74 balls, while Minhas contributed 59 runs off 58 deliveries. Their partnership of 138 runs helped Pakistan recover from losing five wickets for 133 runs. Faheem Ashraf added 39 runs off 26 balls as Pakistan's run rate accelerated towards the end of their innings.

Sonny Baker was England's top bowler, claiming three wickets for 65 runs. The win gave Pakistan two victories from two matches in the tri-series, following their opening win against Sri Lanka by 37 runs. England and Sri Lanka each have one defeat in the series. Pakistan will face England again on October 25 in Lahore, while England will play Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on October 22.