England slump to defeat against Pakistan in tri-series opener

England began their winter schedule with a sloppy loss to Pakistan in the one-day tri-series in Rawalpindi. Pakistan posted 302-9 from their 50 overs after being asked to bat. Hasan Nawaz scored a powerful 79 from 74 balls and Arafat Minhas added 59 from 58 balls, lifting the hosts from a shaky 133-5 in the 28th order. England missed multiple opportunities in the field, including wicketkeeper Jordan Cox dropping Arafat on 12 during a total of three dropped catches. Sonny Baker finished with 3-65 for England. Chasing a target of 303, England made a fast start and reached 91-0 before collapsing to 215 all out in 38.4 overs. Tom Banton top-scored with 57 from 53 balls, while Ben Duckett contributed 45 before top-edging a pull shot. Arafat starred with the ball for Pakistan, taking 6-40 with his left-arm spin, which included bowling England captain Harry Brook for five. Naseem Shah also bowled Joe Root for 33, and England lost their last seven wickets for just 50 runs, ending with a run-out of Gus Atkinson.

Context

This match marks the start of a long series of one-day internationals for England in preparation for next year's 50-over World Cup in southern Africa. Pakistan have now won their first two matches in the tri-series and sit comfortably near the top, while England will look for their first win when they face Sri Lanka on Thursday at the same ground.