PAK vs ENG, ODI Tri-Series 2026 | DEEP DIVE
Minhas Magic: The Night a 21-Year-Old Joined Afridi and Razzaq
By NajamSports Team | October 21, 2026
Photo: Arafat Minhas, 21 - two five-wicket hauls and a fifty in his first five ODIs. Official ICC headshot.
On Tuesday night in Rawalpindi, a 21-year-old playing only his fifth ODI did something Pakistan has seen just twice before in half a century of one-day cricket. Arafat Minhas smashed 59 off 58 balls with the bat and then ripped through England with 6 for 40 in 8.4 overs, powering Pakistan to an 87-run win in the second ODI of the tri-series - 302 for 9 defended, England bundled out for 215 in 38.4 overs, Player of the Match by a mile.
Read that again. Fifty with the bat. Six wickets with the ball. In the same ODI. At 21. Against England.
Minhas is now only the third Pakistani in history - after Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq - to score a half-century and take a five-wicket haul in the same ODI. Globally, he is just the seventh player ever to complete the fifty-plus-six-wickets double, and the youngest of them all. He also happens to be the first Pakistani bowler to take a five-wicket haul on ODI debut, which he did against Australia in May. Two five-fors and a fifty in his first five ODIs. I have watched a lot of Pakistan debuts over the years, and I cannot remember a start like this one.
The rescue: 59 off 58 when Pakistan were wobbling
Pakistan's innings was falling apart when Minhas walked in. Gus Atkinson had struck with the very first ball of the match - Fakhar Zaman caught by Joe Root at short mid-wicket - and England kept chipping away until the hosts were reeling at 133 for 5 in the 27.3rd over. The rebuild, and the rescue, came from two 21-year-olds.
Hasan Nawaz, fresh from his breakthrough, played the senior hand with 79 off 74 balls, hitting four sixes - the most by a Pakistani at home against England in an ODI. And Minhas, at No. 7, played the innings of a man twice his experience. He hit nine fours in his 59 off 58, busy at the crease, picking gaps rather than swinging blindly. The sixth-wicket stand with Nawaz was worth 78 runs of genuine pressure, and when Nawaz fell, Minhas found another gear with Faheem Ashraf, whose 39 off 26 balls included a six and five fours. Their seventh-wicket partnership added 72 in quick time, and Pakistan plundered 91 runs in the last ten overs to reach 302 for 9.
Sonny Baker finished with 3 for 65 for England and Atkinson 2 for 35, but England will look back at three dropped catches and wonder how a side at 133 for 5 posted 300-plus. This, right here, is the value of a genuine all-rounder at No. 7: the innings does not end when the top order fails. It just changes shape.
The demolition: 6 for 40 and a direct hit
If the fifty was impressive, the bowling was devastating. England's chase started beautifully - Tom Banton and Ben Duckett put on 91 for the first wicket, and at 120 for 1 the visitors were cruising. Then Minhas happened.
Banton, on 57 off 53 balls with five fours and two sixes, miscued a pull and was gone. England captain Harry Brook lasted seven balls for five, comprehensively bowled by a sharp turner that left him staring at the pitch. Jordan Cox fell lbw for 18. Will Jacks chipped one to long-on for 19. Jamie Overton managed one. Adil Rashid, zero. England lost their last nine wickets for 95 runs and were all out for 215 in 38.4 overs - their last seven falling for just 50 runs in one brutal passage.
Minhas was not finished, either. He completed a hand in seven England dismissals with a direct-hit run out of Gus Atkinson to end the innings - the final act of a performance for the ages.
Photo: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium under floodlights - the venue where Minhas destroyed England's chase. Via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Brook, to his credit, held his hands up afterwards. "Is he only 21? I didn't know that," the England captain said. "He was the standout performer by a mile... I've played a lot of cricket out here in Pakistan, and I know that it usually just skids on. I hold my hands up to him - he was the better performer on the day."
Brook had won the toss and chosen to bowl, gambling that dew would tilt the chase England's way in the second half. The dew never arrived as an excuse, and the gamble failed. "We were quite happy by limiting them under 300 and then the openers set the tone beautifully, but we could not put on partnerships and ended up on the wrong side," Brook said. England have now failed to chase down 300-plus since June 2025, and their spin problem - on a Rawalpindi surface that did not even turn square - is becoming a genuine worry with the World Cup in southern Africa a year away.
Ball by ball: how the collapse unfolded
It is worth slowing down and watching the middle overs again, because this is where matches are actually won. At 120 for 1 in the 19th over, England needed 183 from 31 overs with nine wickets in hand - a cruise. What happened next was a slow strangulation.
Minhas broke the Banton-Brook stand first: Banton, set on 57, miscued a pull and holed out. Two overs later came the ball of the night - Brook, England's captain and best player of spin, beaten by a sharp turner that bowled him for 5. You could see the doubt spread through the England dugout. Jordan Cox, new at the crease, never settled and fell lbw for 18. Joe Root tried to glue the innings together with 33, but Naseem Shah bowled him, and when Haris Rauf removed the dangerous Sam Curran for 27, the chase was effectively over at 165 for 4.
The tail had no answers. Will Jacks, with the game slipping, chipped one down long-on's throat for 19 - a poor wicket for England to lose. Overton managed a single, Rashid a duck, and Atkinson was run out by Minhas's direct hit. From 120 for 1 to 215 all out: nine wickets for 95 runs, the last seven for 50. On a pitch Brook admitted "usually just skids on," England were spun out by a 21-year-old in his fifth ODI. That sentence should worry every team at next year's World Cup.
The record books: Afridi, Razzaq... and now Minhas
Let me put this in the company it deserves. The list of Pakistanis with a fifty and a five-for in the same ODI read, until Tuesday night: Shahid Afridi. Abdul Razzaq. That was the whole list. Minhas is the third name on it.
Photo: Shahid Afridi - the first Pakistani with a fifty and a five-for in one ODI (61 and 5/40 vs England, Lahore 2000). Via Wikimedia Commons.
Afridi did it first - and remarkably, also against England, scoring 61 and taking 5 for 40 in Lahore in 2000. He remains the only cricketer in world cricket to complete the double three times, the biggest of them his 76 and 7 for 12 against West Indies in 2013. Razzaq's name sits beside them. Now a 21-year-old left-arm spinner from the new generation has written his name on the same page.
The wider numbers are even more startling. Only seven players in ODI history have scored a fifty and taken six wickets in the same match - and Minhas is the youngest of the lot, and the first to do it against England. His 6 for 40 is the best ODI bowling by a Pakistan spinner against England, and the second-best ODI figures by any Pakistani at home - behind only Shoaib Akhtar's 6 for 16 against New Zealand in Karachi in 2002. Read that company again: Shoaib Akhtar. In your fifth ODI.
The debut nobody can forget
Here is the thing that makes this more than one golden night: Minhas has done this before. His ODI debut came on May 30, 2026, against Australia in Rawalpindi - Pakistan's 1000th ODI, no less - and he walked off with 5 for 32 in his ten overs. Josh Inglis lbw. Marnus Labuschagne lbw for a duck. Cameron Green's stumps shattered. Matt Short. Nathan Ellis. Australia folded for 200, Pakistan chased it with five wickets and 45 balls to spare, and Minhas took Player of the Match.
In doing so he became the first Pakistani bowler - male or female - to take a five-wicket haul on ODI debut, breaking a 42-year-old national record held by Zakir Khan (4 for 19 against New Zealand in Peshawar in 1984). David Warner, of all people, posted Minhas's picture on Instagram with the words "Well done legend." When David Warner is tipping his hat to your debut, you have announced yourself properly.
Two five-wicket hauls and a fifty in five ODIs. Not since the teenage Afridi has a Pakistan all-rounder announced himself with this kind of force.
The rise: from U19 World Cup to the Minhas brothers show
Minhas did not come from nowhere. He was part of Pakistan's squad at the ICC U19 World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, and his real coming-out party was PSL 2026, where he turned out for Multan Sultans and finished with 144 runs and nine wickets - including a strike rate of 230.30 as a lower-order finisher, the kind of number that makes selectors sit up.
And then there is the family story, which might be my favourite subplot in Pakistan cricket right now. His younger brother Sameer Minhas was the revelation of PSL 2026 for Islamabad United - 349 runs, including the headlines from his 172 in the U19 Asia Cup final against India last year. Their father Kashif is a professional photographer who spent the tournament behind the lens watching both his sons live their dream on the biggest franchise stage in the country. From powerful finishing to dominant starts, the Minhas brothers are announcing the arrival of Pakistan's next generation - and their father is capturing every frame of it.
My analysis: why this is different
I want to be careful here, because Pakistan cricket has a long history of falling in love with a youngster after one big night and then wondering what happened two years later. So let me tell you why I think Minhas is different - and where the honest doubts still live.
First, the skill set is real and repeatable. This is not a slogger who got lucky or a spinner who found one helpful pitch. His 8.4 overs against England were a masterclass in control: he bowled Brook with a ball that turned sharply on a surface Brook himself said "usually just skids on." That tells you the revolutions and the release are elite, not the pitch. And his fifty was built on placement - nine fours, busy feet, picking lengths - not agricultural heaves. Repeatable skills survive bad days; luck does not.
Second, the temperament. Walking in at 133 for 5 in your fifth ODI, with the innings collapsing, and playing a 58-ball fifty with proper shot selection - that is not talent, that is temperament. Then defending 303 with the new ball doing nothing and the chase at 120 for 1, and ripping the heart out of the middle order anyway - that is temperament again. You cannot coach that.
Third, the role fit. Pakistan have spent years searching for the genuine spin-bowling all-rounder at No. 7 - the Shadab Khan role, except Shadab's bowling faded and his batting never quite became the weapon it promised to be. Minhas at 21 already looks like the finished version of that idea: a frontline-quality spinner who bats like a proper batter and fields like a livewire. His direct hit to finish England was not a footnote; it was a statement about his athleticism.
The honest caveats: the World Cup next year is in southern Africa, where spin traditionally plays a smaller role than in Asia, and five ODIs is still five ODIs. Every young spinner in history has had a bad month where nothing turns and the short ball goes everywhere. What I am saying is not that Minhas is the finished article - it is that the floor looks unusually high. Even his bad days should come with 0 for 45 and 20 useful runs, which is exactly what you want from your No. 7.
Shaheen Afridi sees it too. "As a team we have shown progress as we are looking to build towards next year's World Cup," the Pakistan captain said. "The form of Arafat and the fast bowlers are good signs for us." When your captain name-checks a 21-year-old in a World Cup sentence, the dressing room has already decided.
What this means for Pakistan's XI
Here is the selection picture this performance changes. Pakistan's ODI blueprint for the World Cup now practically picks itself around the all-rounders: Shaheen, Naseem and Rauf as the pace trio, Abrar Ahmed as the mystery-spin option, and Minhas as the second spinner who bats at No. 7 - with Faheem Ashraf at No. 8 giving Pakistan batting depth most teams would envy. That is six genuine bowling options and batting down to eight, which means the top order can play with freedom: a collapse to 133 for 5 no longer ends the innings, as Tuesday proved.
It also solves the oldest Pakistan problem - the fifth bowler. For years Pakistan carried a part-timer or shortened the batting to squeeze in an extra bowler. Minhas removes that compromise entirely. He is not a batter who bowls; his 6 for 40 says he is a bowler who bats. And at 21, with two five-fors in five games, the trajectory points only one way.
The one watch-out is workload. Pakistan have a habit of bowling young spinners into the ground across formats, and Minhas is now a tri-series, PSL and potentially Test conversation all at once. If the management protects him - picks his series, manages his overs - the ceiling here is a genuine world-class all-rounder. If they do not, we have seen that movie before. For once, though, the raw material looks too good to waste.
My prediction
I will put this in writing so you can hold me to it: by the time the World Cup starts in southern Africa next year, Arafat Minhas will be the first name on Pakistan's ODI teamsheet after the captain - not as a prospect, as a banker. I expect him to pass 50 ODI wickets inside his first 18 months and to score at least two more fifties from No. 7 before the World Cup. And here is the bolder one: Afridi's record of three fifty-plus-five-for doubles has stood as the world benchmark for over a decade. Minhas has one in five games. I am not saying he breaks it in year one - I am saying he is the first Pakistani since Afridi himself for whom it is a realistic career target, not a fantasy.
England, meanwhile, need answers against spin fast. They face Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on October 22 in what is effectively a shoot-out for the tri-series final, and then meet Pakistan again in Lahore on October 25 - the game where Pakistan will wear pink for breast cancer awareness. If Minhas does this twice in one series, we stop talking about a breakthrough and start talking about an era.
Brief scores
Pakistan 302 for 9 in 50 overs (Hasan Nawaz 79 off 74, Arafat Minhas 59 off 58, Faheem Ashraf 39 off 26; Sonny Baker 3 for 65, Gus Atkinson 2 for 35) beat England 215 all out in 38.4 overs (Tom Banton 57 off 53, Ben Duckett 45 off 46, Joe Root 33 off 35; Arafat Minhas 6 for 40 in 8.4 overs, Haris Rauf 2 for 32) by 87 runs.
Player of the Match: Arafat Minhas. Rawalpindi, October 20, 2026. Toss: England, who chose to bowl.
Your turn
Two five-wicket hauls and a fifty in five ODIs - where does Arafat Minhas rank among Pakistan's greatest young all-rounders already, and what is your prediction for him in the next 12 months? Drop it in the comments.
Read more
- Pakistan beat England by 87 runs in Rawalpindi - full match report
- Pakistan vs England 2nd ODI preview - playing 11, head-to-head, pitch report
- Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the tri-series opener
FAQs
Who is Arafat Minhas?
Arafat Minhas is a 21-year-old Pakistan all-rounder - a left-arm spinner and left-handed batter - who debuted in ODIs against Australia in May 2026 and plays for Multan Sultans in the PSL. His younger brother Sameer Minhas is also a Pakistan prospect.
What did Arafat Minhas do against England on October 20, 2026?
In only his fifth ODI, Minhas scored 59 off 58 balls and took 6 for 40 in 8.4 overs, plus a direct-hit run out, as Pakistan beat England by 87 runs in Rawalpindi. He was Player of the Match.
Which Pakistani players have scored 50 and taken a five-for in the same ODI?
Only three: Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, and now Arafat Minhas. Afridi did it three times in his career, including 61 and 5 for 40 against England in Lahore in 2000.
What were Arafat Minhas's figures on ODI debut?
5 for 32 in 10 overs against Australia in Rawalpindi on May 30, 2026 - the first five-wicket haul by any Pakistani bowler on ODI debut, breaking a 42-year-old record.
When is Pakistan's next match in the tri-series?
England face Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on October 22 in a virtual semi-final, and Pakistan meet England again in Lahore on October 25 - the match where Pakistan will wear pink kits for breast cancer awareness.
Sources
- ESPNcricinfo - PAK vs ENG 2nd ODI match report, Rawalpindi, October 20, 2026
- AFP via Khaleej Times - All-rounder Minhas stars as Pakistan crush England in tri-series
- Geo Super - Minhas joins Afridi, Razzaq in elusive list of Pakistan all-rounders
- Times Now - Arafat Minhas creates history vs England, sets world record with rare double
- Wisden - Arafat Minhas sets national record on ODI debut against Australia
- Fox Sports - Brook on Minhas: "Is he only 21? ... standout performer by a mile"
- Grassroots Cricket - PSL 2026 season review: Arafat Minhas, 144 runs and nine wickets for Multan Sultans