England captain Harry Brook admits his side were too careful against Pakistan's spinners after collapsing to a disappointing 87-run defeat in their ODI tri-series opener in Rawalpindi.
Arafat Minhas starred with bat and ball for the hosts, who recovered from 133-5 to post 302-9 from their 50 overs. Minhas hit 59 off 58 deliveries, part of a strong lower middle-order fightback, with Hasan Nawaz top-scoring with a 74-ball 79 and Faheem Ashraf adding 39 off 26 deliveries in the closing overs.
Tom Banton and Ben Duckett gave England a strong start with a 91-run opening stand. Minhas then bamboozled the visitors with a career-best 6-40, helping Pakistan wrap up victory with more than 11 overs to spare. England were 165-3 at one stage, but lost their last five wickets for 18 runs in a chaotic five-over spell.
Brook said his side lost too many wickets in clumps and struggled to string partnerships together. "We've spoken a lot about rotation of strike through the middle but I think we were a little too careful against the spinners especially," he said. Former England bowler Stuart Broad criticised the dismissal of Jamie Overton on commentary, calling the batting "appalling." Minhas became the third Pakistan all-rounder, after Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi, to take a five-wicket haul and score a half-century in an ODI. The 21-year-old's victory gave Pakistan their second win of the tournament.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing