Arafat Minhas' six-wicket haul powers Pakistan to 87-run win over England

Rawalpindi: Pakistan defeated England by 87 runs in the second One-Day International (ODI) of the tri-nation series, thanks to an outstanding all-round performance by Arafat Minhas.

In the match played in Rawalpindi, England won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Batting first, Pakistan scored 302 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs. In reply, England were bowled out for 215 in the 39th over.

Arafat Minhas delivered an impressive all-round performance for Pakistan, scoring 59 runs under pressure before taking six wickets for 40 runs.

Earlier, Pakistan's top order struggled at the start of the innings. Fakhar Zaman was dismissed on the very first ball of the match, caught by Joe Root off Gus Atkinson's bowling. Saim Ayub followed after scoring eight runs, falling to Sonny Baker at a team total of 31.

Pakistan suffered their third setback when Babar Azam was bowled by Will Jacks for 34, with the team's score at 59.

At that stage, Hasan Nawaz and Arafat Minhas steadied the innings with responsible batting. Hasan Nawaz scored 79 off 74 balls, while Minhas contributed 59 off 58 deliveries.

Among the other contributors, Faheem Ashraf scored 39 runs, Saad Baig made 35, and Salman Ali Agha added 16.

For England, Sonny Baker claimed three wickets, while Gus Atkinson took two. Chasing a target of 303, England were dismissed for 215 in the 39th over.

Tom Banton top-scored for England with 57 runs, while Ben Duckett contributed 45 and Joe Root scored 33.

Pakistan's spinner Arafat Minhas produced a devastating bowling performance, finishing with figures of six wickets for 40 runs.

Pakistan's playing XI for the match comprised Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Saad Baig, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.

It is worth recalling that Pakistan began the series on a winning note, defeating Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the opening match.