In their first match of the tri-series in Rawalpindi, Pakistan's Arafat Minhas defeated England in a dream performance. Minhas came out to bat at a critical juncture during the Pakistan innings to power them to 302 before ripping through the England lineup to pick up a six-wicket haul that gave the home side a dominant 87-run win. Batting first, Pakistan put up a commendable effort to claw their way back despite losing half their side with just 133 on the board. Hasan Nawaz, Minhas, and Faheem Ashraf, who came in last, turned the tide and helped the hosts break 300 to end on a high. When Fakhar Zaman hit the first ball of the match straight to short midwicket, any score that came close seemed like a distant dream. Saim Ayub left for just eight after top-edging a short delivery from Sonny Baker, whereas Babar Azam got off to an excellent start with a flurry of boundaries. After that, Babar entered a shell and was eventually castled by Will Jacks, putting Pakistan in further danger. Salman Agha, the centurion from the first game, got a top edge while attempting a slog sweep that brought Pakistan down to 81/4, and England then took full control of the game. After that, Nawaz walked out and hit his first ball for a six to make a statement before teaming up with Saad Baig to rebuild. Nawaz continued to bat well, but against the flow of play, Gus Atkinson returned to the attack to remove Baig, dealing Pakistan yet another blow. One more wicket at that stage could have been curtains for the hosts but instead, they thrived on the back of an excellent 78-run partnership. Before getting his fifty, Nawaz hit two sixes in the space of three balls. As Pakistan gained momentum heading into the slog overs, Minhas then took on Sam Curran for three fours in an over to get the game started. However, Nawaz's heroics were ended by an excellent yorker from Jamie Overton, leaving Pakistan looking for a new partnership. Minhas found support from Ashraf as the duo went on a boundary-hitting spree to put England under pressure at the death. Minhas finally departed after bringing up his maiden ODI fifty via a hat-trick of boundaries. With two overs left, Pakistan lost Ashraf as well before Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf dragged the total beyond 300. England's openers quickly put Pakistan on the back foot, scoring only 9 runs in the first three overs of the chase. When Tom Banton slammed Naseem Shah for a couple of sixes and a four in the same over to bring up the fifty partnership, the target of 303 appeared hesitant at one point. The assault continued even after the Powerplay came to an end as England raced to 80/0 after just 12 overs. When Rauf sent Duckett home for 45, he gave Pakistan the victory they had been seeking all along. Minhas then got the well-set Banton which eventually proved to be the dismissal that triggered a collapse. Minhas castled Harry Brook with a top delivery to put England on the back foot. Although Joe Root and Sam Curran's crucial partnership helped the visitors temporarily stabilize the ship, Pakistan eventually found a way. Root's stumps were broken when Naseem came back into the fight, and Curran missed a crucial pull to leave. While Pakistan found saviours from their lower middle order, England caved in. The final five wickets managed to add just 38 runs to England's tally as Minhas ran riot with the ball to finish with a six-fer that delivered a comprehensive win.