England’s fallibility against spin comes back to haunt them: Scratchy and overly cautious batting sees Harry Brook’s men implode to heavy defeat against Pakistan

England suffered a heavy 87-run defeat against Pakistan in their tri-series match in Rawalpindi following a batting collapse against spin bowling. After reaching 120 for one in the 19th over chasing a target of 303, Harry Brook's side lost their final nine wickets for just 95 runs. Twenty-one-year-old left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas starred for Pakistan, taking 6-40 as England struggled through an overly cautious mid-innings boundary drought.

Tom Banton scored a half-century before his dismissal triggered the collapse, with England lasting only a dozen deliveries after reaching seven down. The match featured fielding lapses by Gus Atkinson and Jordan Cox that helped Minhas and Hasan Nawaz achieve career-best ODI scores. Despite the defeat, captain Brook experimented with bowling rotations and batting orders as England continue preparations for the 2027 World Cup.