The Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026 performance was one for the record books, as the 21-year-old left-arm spinner scored a maiden ODI fifty and then took six wickets to lead Pakistan to an 87-run win over England at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 20. Pakistan posted 302 for 9 from their 50 overs and bowled England out for 215 in 38.4 overs, with Minhas named Player of the Match after a day in which he also ran out the last man.
It was Pakistan’s second straight win of the tri-series, following the 37-run win over Sri Lanka in the opener on October 18, when Salman Agha scored 107. The series began with Pakistan wearing pink jerseys in the opener for breast cancer awareness, and two days later the Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026 match made it two wins from two, with Pakistan top of the standings and the only unbeaten side.
Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026: How Pakistan Recovered to Post 302 for 9
England captain Harry Brook chose to bowl first, expecting dew to help his side later, and Pakistan’s start justified his call. Fakhar Zaman fell to the first ball of the match, Saim Ayub was out to the short ball to leave Pakistan 31 for 2, and Babar Azam made 34 before Will Jacks bowled him. When Salman Agha, the centurion of the opener, fell for 16, Pakistan were 81 for 4 in the 19th over and England were on top.
Hasan Nawaz changed the innings. He hit a six off the first ball he faced from Adil Rashid, reached his fifty off 46 balls and finished with 79 off 74. Nawaz, who also hit 96 in the Asian Games final as Pakistan took cricket silver, first added 52 with Saad Baig, who made 35, and then shared a 78-run stand with Minhas that took Pakistan from 133 for 5 to 211. England helped the recovery: Nawaz was dropped on 28 and Minhas was missed three times, the costliest on 12 when Jordan Cox could not hold a low edge off Sam Curran.
Minhas reached his fifty with a cover drive off Sonny Baker and then put on 72 off 49 balls with Faheem Ashraf, whose 39 came off just 26 balls. Minhas fell for 59 off 58 balls, Baker finished with his best ODI figures of 3 for 65, and Pakistan scored 91 runs in the last ten overs to close on 302 for 9, a total built on the defining partnership of the Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026 innings.
Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026: The Chase That Fell Apart
For a while, the chase looked on. Tom Banton and Ben Duckett put on 91 inside 15 overs, Banton taking 18 off one Naseem Shah over on his way to 57 and Duckett making 45 before Haris Rauf bounced him out. But Duckett was the first of England’s top five to fall, and once Minhas came into the attack the innings unravelled. He had Banton caught at midwicket, then bowled Brook with a ball that turned sharply past the back-foot defence and clipped off stump.
Joe Root made 33 before Naseem bowled him, and Sam Curran fell to Rauf, to leave England 177 for 5. From 165 for 3 they lost their last five wickets for just 18 runs, as the decisive spell of the Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026 match took hold. Minhas trapped Jordan Cox lbw, removed Jamie Overton, then in a closing burst of three wickets in four balls he had Will Jacks caught by Shaheen Afridi at midwicket to complete his five-for, bowled Adil Rashid first ball, and ran out Gus Atkinson with a direct hit after recovering his own fumble. His final figures were 6 for 40 in 8.4 overs, a career best, and England were all out with 11.2 overs unused.
Brook admitted his side had been too cautious against spin. “(Tom) Banton and Ducky (Ben Duckett) set the tone beautifully, but we lost the wickets in clumps and could not put on a partnership and ended up on the wrong side,” the England captain said, in comments reported by the ICC. “We were a bit too much circumspect against the spinners. We could have put them under pressure, I feel.”
Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026: Joining Afridi and Razzaq in an Elite Club
The double put Minhas in rare company. He is only the third Pakistani, after Shahid Afridi, who did it three times, and Abdul Razzaq, who did it once, to score a fifty and take five wickets in the same ODI, and the ICC noted it was only the 25th such performance in men’s ODI history. Remarkably, this was just his fifth ODI and his 12th senior international appearance, and the six-for was his second five-wicket haul in the format, at the same Rawalpindi ground where his ODI career began.
“I have kept my plans simple. There was not much help for the spinners in the first match. The pitch was on the slower side today, which helped me,” Minhas said. “Variations are very important for a spinner as they help in deceiving the batters. I have worked on my variations.” Captain Shaheen Afridi was full of praise: “Arafat is a very good talent and he is a proper all-rounder, which bodes well for us. Hopefully, he will deliver for us in many more games in the future.” Shaheen added that Pakistan’s plans are built around next year’s World Cup, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Performances like the Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026 display are why the 21-year-old, a star of Pakistan’s 2024 Under-19 World Cup side, is now central to those plans.
Pakistan Climb to Fourth in the ICC ODI Rankings
The win also moved Pakistan up the world rankings. As The News reported, Pakistan have climbed to fourth place in the ICC men’s ODI team rankings with 103 rating points, overtaking Australia, who drop to fifth on 102. India lead on 115, followed by New Zealand on 109 and South Africa on 104, with Pakistan credited with 3,505 points from 34 matches. The climb is a direct reward for the two Rawalpindi wins, and it gives the Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026 result a significance beyond one night.
The tri-series continues with Sri Lanka against England in Rawalpindi on October 22, before the tournament moves to Lahore: Pakistan face England again on October 25 and Sri Lanka on October 27, and the final is on October 31. Two more wins would send Pakistan into that final unbeaten, and the star of the Arafat Minhas England ODI 2026 match will have a big say in how far they go.
Photo: ICC / Getty Images, Arafat Minhas holds up the match ball after his six-wicket haul against England in Rawalpindi
Sources
- ESPNcricinfo: Arafat Minhas follows fifty with six-for to crown matchwinning display, match report, October 20, 2026
- Cricket World: Minhas six-wicket haul sinks England as Pakistan secure dominant ODI victory
- ICC: Pakistan youngster joins elite ODI group with superb haul
- Sky Sports: England captain Harry Brook laments wickets in clumps as Arafat Minhas stars for Pakistan
- The News International: Pakistan overtake Australia to claim fourth spot in ODI rankings
- CricTracker: ICC ODI team rankings table, updated October 21, 2026
Umar is an engineer by profession and a passionate writer by passion. He has a deep interest in sharing good news related to Pakistan and has been working hard to promote the positive image of his homeland. Umar has written numerous articles on various topics related to Pakistan, such as technology, sports, culture, and economy.