Young all-rounder Arafat Minhas has become just the third men’s player from Pakistan to contribute a half-century and a five-wicket haul in the same ODI with a blistering Player of the Match performance against England in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
Arafat joined Pakistan great Shahid Afridi (three times) and former star all-rounder Abdul Razzaq (once) as players from the country to complete the feat in 50-over cricket as he hit a quickfire 59 and backed that up with figures of 6/40 to help lead the side to an impressive 87-run victory over England.
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It was just the 25th time the feat has been achieved in men’s ODIs, with Arafat joining former greats such as Vic Richards, Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and Shakib Al Hasan in the select group.
It was only Arafat’s 12th senior international appearance
It was only Arafat’s 12th senior international appearance for his country and fifth ODI contest, with the 21-year-old smashing 59 from just 58 deliveries to help Pakistan post 302/9 before he mesmerised England’s strong batting lineup with a mature display of left-arm spin bowling.
Arafat’s victims with the ball included England captain Harry Brook and experienced players such as Adil Rashid, Will Jacks and Jamie Overton and the young Pakistan all-rounder said he tried to vary his line and length during his spell to ensure the opposition batters were never settled.
“I have kept my plans simple. There was not much help for the spinners in the first match. The pitch was on the slower side today, which helped me,” Arafat, who starred for Pakistan at the 2024 edition of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, said.
Variations are very important for a spinner
“Variations are very important for a spinner as they help in deceiving the batters. I have worked on my variations.”
Arafat’s performance drew the praise from many of Pakistan’s more senior players, with skipper Shaheen Afridi singling out the youngster for his efforts.
“The form of Arafat and fast bowlers is good signs for us,” Shaheen said.
“Arafat is a very good talent and he is a proper all-rounder, which bodes well for us. Hopefully, he will deliver for us in many more games in the future.”
Arafat looks certain to come into contention
Arafat looks certain to come into contention for Pakistan’s squad at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next year and Shaheen said all of his side’s plans were based around next year’s showpiece that will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“As a team we have done some good things but we need to improve further as we are looking to build towards the World Cup,” he said.
England captain Brook was left to lament the lack of any meaningful partnerships for his side during the run chase and suggested his team was too negative against Pakistan’s spinners.
(Tom) Banton and Ducky (Ben Duckett) set
“(Tom) Banton and Ducky (Ben Duckett) set the tone beautifully, but we lost the wickets in clumps and could not put on a partnership and ended up on the wrong side,” Brook said.
“We were a bit too much circumspect against the spinners. We could have put them under pressure, I feel.”
October 18: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Rawalpindi (Pakistan won by 37 runs)
October 20: Pakistan vs England, Rawalpindi (Pakistan won by 87 runs)
October 22: Sri Lanka vs England, Rawalpindi
October 25: Pakistan vs England, Lahore
October 27: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Lahore
October 29: Sri Lanka vs England, Lahore
October 31: Final, Lahore
Source: www.icc-cricket.com
