Pakistan vs England 2nd ODI 2026: Arafat Minhas Stars as Pakistan Win by 87 Runs

Last updated: 20 October 2026, 11:20 PM PKT. Match result, scorecard and series schedule verified.

Result: Pakistan 302 for 9 (Hasan Nawaz 79, Arafat Minhas 59) beat England 215 all out in 38.4 overs (Arafat Minhas 6 for 40) by 87 runs at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. Pakistan now top the ODI tri-series table with two wins from two.

Some nights a young player gets a good match. On Tuesday at Rawalpindi, Arafat Minhas produced the kind of all round performance that nations build World Cup campaigns around. The 21 year old walked in with Pakistan in trouble at 81 for 4, hit a busy half century to push the total past 300, then returned with the ball and ripped through England’s chase with six wickets for 40 runs. Pakistan won by 87 runs, and their second straight win in the series was never really in doubt once Arafat’s spell began.

This was only his fifth One Day International. Keep that number in mind as you read the rest of this report, because nothing about his night looked like a debut season.

The Toss and the Plan

England captain Harry Brook won the toss and chose to bowl first, expecting evening dew to make chasing easier under the Rawalpindi lights. On paper the logic was sound, and Pakistan’s innings seemed to prove him right for the first half. England also brought leg spinner Adil Rashid and all rounder Sam Curran back into their eleven, while Pakistan stayed unchanged from the side that beat Sri Lanka in the opener.

England head coach Brendon McCullum had said before the match that beating Pakistan at home is never easy and his side would need an aggressive approach. For two hours, his batters tried exactly that. For the rest of the night, Pakistan made them pay for every loose shot.

Pakistan’s Innings: From 81 for 4 to 302 for 9

The start was grim. Babar Azam, looking settled, fell for 34 to Will Jacks with the score on 59. Wickets kept tumbling at the other end, and when Saad Baig edged Atkinson to Curran for 35, Pakistan had slumped to 133 for 5 and the innings was drifting toward a total England would have happily accepted.

Then came the rescue act. Hasan Nawaz, dropped into the six slot, batted with real freedom for his 79, attacking anything short and using the sweep well against spin. At 211 for 6, with Hasan gone to Overton, England must have sensed a finish around 260. Arafat Minhas had other ideas.

The left hander reached his fifty and kept going, mixing hard running with clean strikes down the ground. Faheem Ashraf chipped in with 39 in a stand that drained England’s energy. By the time Arafat holed out to Brook off Baker for 59, Pakistan had moved from 81 for 4 to a position of strength, and late hitting from Faheem and Naseem Shah pushed the total to 302 for 9. Baker finished as England’s best bowler with the new ball breakthroughs, while Curran and Jacks each grabbed two.

England’s Chase: Fast Start, Ugly Finish

England’s chase began with intent, and at the halfway mark of the innings the equation still leaned their way. Then the middle overs turned into a slow collapse. Banton, Duckett, Curran, Cox and Overton all fell to shots the match report cards will politely call avoidable. The BBC summary said it plainly: bad shots, one after another.

The killing blow was the lower order slide of 5 wickets for 18 runs. Will Jacks, who had bowled tidily, edged Arafat to Shaheen Afridi at 214 for 8. Adil Rashid was trapped lbw first ball by the same bowler. Jacob Bethell had earlier fallen in the cluster, and the innings finally ended at 215 when Atkinson was run out going for a hopeless single. Arafat’s figures, six for 40, are the best by any bowler in this series so far.

What made the spell special was not just the wickets. It was the contrast with Pakistan’s batting troubles. England never had their rescue act. Whenever a partnership started to build, Arafat or a sharp piece of fielding ended it. Chasing 303, England were bowled out with more than eleven overs to spare.

Arafat Minhas: A Star Is Born in Rawalpindi

Every tri series needs a story, and this one now has its headline act. Arafat Minhas is a left handed batting all rounder and a handy medium pacer, and at 21 he is playing his fifth ODI. Fifty plus runs from number seven, followed by a six wicket haul, in the same match, against a full strength England side, is the kind of line that gets framed.

The Guardian’s match report called it an all round performance that stars with both bat and ball, and England captain Brook had no answers by the end. For Pakistan’s selectors, the timing could not be better. The 50 over World Cup in 2027 will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and teams are already shaping their cores. An all rounder who can bat at seven, bowl ten overs, and field like a teenager is gold in that format.

The captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, now has a genuine selection headache in the best sense. Pakistan’s squad in this series is deep, and performances like this one force their way into future plans.

Where the Tri-Series Stands Now

Pakistan have played two and won two. Sri Lanka pushed them hard in the opener on 18 October, chasing 306 after Salman Agha’s 107 had powered Pakistan to 305, but fell 37 runs short despite a fighting 79 from Rathnayake. England have now lost their first match of the tournament and sit bottom on net run rate.

Sri Lanka versus England on Wednesday in Rawalpindi has suddenly become a must win for both teams. The loser is all but out of the final, and the winner keeps alive the chance to face Pakistan again on 31 October.

Why Pakistan Will Wear Pink on 25 October

The most eye catching fixture of the series is the Lahore clash on 25 October, and not only because of the cricket. Pakistan will swap their traditional green for special pink jerseys to mark Pinktober, the global breast cancer awareness month. The Pakistan Cricket Board has planned Pink Ribbon activities at Gaddafi Stadium, beginning two hours before the first ball.

Expect the stands to be full. Lahore crowds have waited years for a marquee 50 over fixture against England, and the combination of a night match, a cause, and a Pakistan side in form should make it the party fixture of the summer season. If you are planning to drive in from nearby cities, fuel got cheaper this week, which softens the trip a little.

Head to Head: The Long Rivalry

The numbers favor England historically, which is what makes wins like Tuesday’s sweeter for Pakistani fans. Home soil has been kind to this generation of Pakistan players too. The T20 squad beat Sri Lanka 2 to 1 in Rawalpindi just last week, and the ODI side has now extended the momentum.

What England Will Worry About

Brook’s first winter as white ball captain has started badly. After a bruising summer at home, England arrived in Pakistan with a rebuilt squad and a coach famous for demanding aggression. The aggression is there. The application is not, and Tuesday’s parade of loose dismissals will trouble McCullum more than the 87 run margin.

The bowling, to be fair, competed hard for most of the Pakistan innings. The batting is the concern. Too many batters tried to force the pace before building a base, and against a Pakistan attack now humming with confidence, that approach needs sharper execution. Wednesday’s match against Sri Lanka is the immediate test.

The World Cup Clock Is Ticking

Zoom out, and this series is really about October 2027. The World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will reward teams that have settled cores, clear roles, and all rounders who can cover five overs with the ball and fifty runs with the bat. Pakistan are using this tri series to test exactly those slots, and the early returns are encouraging. Two wins, a rising all rounder, and a captain finding his voice.

For fans, the message is simple. Get to a screen on 22 October for Sri Lanka versus England, and if you can be in Lahore on 25 October, wear something pink and enjoy a night that promises cricket and community in equal measure. We will have the report of every match right here.

The Pitch, the Dew and the Blind Draw

Every toss conversation in Rawalpindi this time of year revolves around dew, and Brook’s decision to bowl first was built on exactly that expectation. The surface at the Pindi Cricket Stadium has a long reputation for true bounce and fast scoring, which is why scores above 300 here are treated as par rather than exceptional.

The wrinkle, as England discovered, is that chasing under lights demands wickets in hand for the dew overs. When Pakistan’s spinners and part timers protected the boundaries through the middle overs, England’s required rate crept from manageable to mountainous without anyone noticing. By the time the ball began holding slightly in the surface, the asking rate had crossed seven an over with the lower order exposed, and the run out that ended the match summed up a chase that had run out of ideas as well as runs.

Pakistan, for their part, batted as if they had read the conditions perfectly. The late acceleration from Arafat and Faheem was calculated against exactly the scenario England faced, a target big enough that the dew factor never got a chance to matter.

Lahore Prepares for Pink Day

While Rawalpindi winds down, Lahore is already filling its hotels for the 25 October fixture, and the early signs point to a packed Gaddafi Stadium. The pink jersey campaign gives families a reason to bring children, and the PCB’s Pink Ribbon activities starting two hours before the first ball turn the evening into an event rather than just a match.

Practical advice for anyone attending. Reach early, because security checks around the stadium slow down close to start time on marquee fixtures. Public transport or ride sharing beats driving into the Ferozepur Road corridor on match night, and the weather forecast promises dry, warm October conditions with none of the rain interruptions that have haunted recent home seasons.

And for the fans watching from home, the broadcast picture is straightforward. The series airs in Pakistan on the local streaming platform that holds rights, with the usual television partners carrying it regionally. Wherever you watch, keep an eye on the toss, because in this tri series the spin overs have decided every match so far.

Frequently Asked Questions

Match and Result

Who won the Pakistan vs England 2nd ODI?
Pakistan won by 87 runs at Rawalpindi on 20 October 2026. Pakistan scored 302 for 9 and bowled England out for 215 in 38.4 overs.

What did Arafat Minhas do in the match?
The 21 year old all rounder scored 59 runs from number seven and then took six wickets for 40 runs, including Adil Rashid lbw first ball. It was only his fifth One Day International.

When is Pakistan’s next match?
Pakistan play England again on Saturday, 25 October at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, wearing special pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness. The final is on 31 October in Lahore.

Series Details

Why will Pakistan wear pink jerseys against England?
The pink kit on 25 October marks Pinktober, the global breast cancer awareness month. The PCB has arranged Pink Ribbon activities at Gaddafi Stadium starting two hours before the match.

Where and when is the tri-series final?
The final is scheduled for 31 October 2026 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

What is the head to head record between Pakistan and England in ODIs?
They have played 92 One Day Internationals. England have won 57, Pakistan 32, and 3 matches ended with no result.