Innings break Pakistan 302 for 9 (Nawaz 79, Minhas 59, Baker 3-65) vs England
With only one half-century in 5 earlier ODI caps, Nawaz’ innings – a brand new career-best – underlined his potential. Likewise with Minhas, whose first worldwide fifty supplied impetus on the loss of life.
Put in to bat by Harry Brook, with dew anticipated to make bowling within the second innings trickier, Shaheen Afridi hoped for an intimidating rating to construct on their opening victory in opposition to Sri Lanka at this floor on Sunday. With the assistance of the captain’s unbeaten 10 off 5, Pakistan had been no less than in a position to lay down the gauntlet of a 300-plus chase, one thing England haven’t achieved since June 2025.
They guests are a much more assured 50-over aspect now. It’s only 23 days for the reason that finish of the English season, which Brook’s males closed with a 2-1 success over fellow tri-series opponents, Sri Lanka. Their improved 50-over type was clear to see within the opening exchanges, decreasing Pakistan to 81 for 4 within the nineteenth over.
Nevertheless, they had been blighted by untidy moments that allowed Pakistan to wriggle off the hook. Nawaz was dropped by Gus Atkinson on 28, failing to take a simple tumbling catch to his proper at backward sq. leg after a tame lap off Will Jacks’ bowling.
England loved an ideal begin when Fakhar Zaman clipped the primary ball of the match, from Atkinson, to Joe Root at midwicket. Pakistan had been quickly 31 for two when Saim Ayub was finished over by the brief ball, late on a pull off Baker that was pouched at backward sq. leg by Curran. Baker, costly in his opening spell, was too fast for Ayub, who had edged a rising supply from across the wicket past the dive of Cox. That the left-hander didn’t see one other bouncer coming spoke to an absence of recreation consciousness that blighted Pakistan’s innings.
Babar Azam, for example, struggled in opposition to Jacks, seemingly unable to barter what modest flip there was for the offspinner. Overwhelmed a number of instances on the surface edge, an try and work off the again foot left a niche between bat and pad that Jacks exploited with a skidder into off stump. It was a minimum of Jacks deserved as he stifled the scoring regardless of having solely two males exterior the interior circle when he was introduced on as first change after six overs.
It was solely when Adil Rashid was introduced into the assault, after lacking the house Sri Lanka sequence with a hand damage, that Pakistan’s batters determined to make use of their ft. On this occasion, Salman Agha greeted the legspinner’s first supply with a swift jaunt down the monitor to launch over cowl.
Salman couldn’t crack on as he did two days in the past, his 107 in opposition to Sri Lanka was adopted by a tame 16, sweeping a low full toss out to Atkinson at a large effective leg.
That introduced Nawaz to the crease, instantly enhancing the rating with a first-ball six off Rashid, again down the bottom. And he would add extra strikes over the fence – accountable for 4 of Pakistan’s 5 sixes – in a 74-ball keep as good because it was enterprising.
Along with Saad Baig, a 52-run stand added a much-needed pillar of stability. And although the 19-year-old Baig turned the second top-four batter bounced out – this time by Atkinson – Nawaz was in his groove.
A late lower halfway by means of the thirty second over for a seventh boundary took him to 50 off 46 deliveries. And by the point England had shifted to 1 ball from the thirty fourth over, introducing Curran, again within the XI after recovering from a groin damage that dominated him out of the top of the summer time, Minhas was starting to carry his personal.
A trio of fours in Curran’s third over hinted at an acceleration by means of the ultimate straight. That didn’t come to move instantly, as an 87mph yorker from Jamie Overton struck the bottom of Nawaz’s stumps, because the batter stepped to the leg aspect to fabricate a boundary choice by means of the covers.
Ashraf, although, was in a position to get the cost going, placing back-to-back boundaries off Jacks and Rashid. Regardless of displaying his hand by attacking spin down the bottom, Brook opted to carry Root on for the forty sixth over, which was duly taken for 12, together with a slap over extensive long-on by the left-handed allrounder.
Earlier than Arafat moved to fifty from 53 deliveries with a stunning cowl drive off Baker, he was the topic of consecutive reprieves, each off Curran. A high edge on 42 fell was taken by a backpedaling Cox, just for the ball to bounce out of his one-handed grasp. The following supply, on 44, noticed a botched relay catch on the long-on boundary when Tom Banton under-armed over the pinnacle of Ben Duckett.
Two extra fours by means of and over the additional cowl could be his lot, as Baker dragged his size again, went straighter and compelled an uppish shot that nestled into the arms of Brook at mid-off.
Curran, on the fourth try, was lastly in a position to register a wicket when Ashraf discovered deep midwicket earlier than Baker had Naseem Shah caught at lengthy on for his third. Haris Rauf, although, muscled the final ball of the innings by means of midwicket to breach 300.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an affiliate editor at Cricinfo