Pakistan face England at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday with a place in the ODI tri-series final within reach. Pakistan have won both of their opening matches, while England have lost twice, making the fourth match of the seven-game round robin pivotal for both teams.
Pakistan beat England by 87 runs in Rawalpindi on October 20. Minhas became only the third Pakistan player to make a fifty and take five wickets in the same ODI, while England’s Harry Brook was out for five.
England’s previous match produced a very different batting performance but the same result. Sri Lanka chased the target with one ball remaining, leaving England without a win and placing greater importance on the Lahore fixture.
Pakistan can qualify for the final with a victory, while England need to begin winning to keep their hopes alive. A defeat would leave Harry Brook’s side dependent on later results, including Sri Lanka’s remaining match against Pakistan. The tournament’s top two teams will meet in the final in Lahore on October 31.
Shaheen Shah Afridi leads Pakistan, who included Shadab Khan for Faheem Ashraf and handed Razaullah his ODI debut in place of Naseem Shah. Afridi won the toss and chose to field, sending England in first.
Pakistan are wearing pink rather than their usual green for the match as part of a breast-cancer fundraising and awareness initiative. The game also marks the series’ move from Rawalpindi to Lahore, where conditions have produced lower-scoring ODI matches than the run-heavy opening games.