Pakistan announces squad for series against Sri Lanka; player who scored a triple century returns

Pakistan secured a convincing victory over the strong English team in the second match of the trinational one-day series, defeating the opponent by a margin of 87 runs. This win marks the second consecutive major victory for the Pakistani team. Previously, the Pakistani team, which had previously beaten Sri Lanka, batted first and scored an impressive total of 302 runs.

After this, Pakistan demonstrated mastery in bowling, limiting the total score of the entire English team to just 215 runs in 38.4 overs.

Following this impressive triumph, the spirits of former Pakistani stars were lifted again. Recently, on a cricket show on a Pakistani television channel, former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar highly praised the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board). Notably, it was this Shoaib Akhtar who had previously criticized the PCB multiple times.

On the show, Akhtar stated that the PCB had decided to move forward with a new mindset. He mentioned meeting many players there, including fast bowlers with speeds of 161.3 km/h. Akhtar advised these young athletes: 'Son, you can break my record, but do not break your body.'

Akhtar also sharply criticized Pakistani players over the last 15 years, stating that they played 'materialistic cricket.' He proudly noted that the PCB has now implemented a policy of 'no nonsense' and 'spirit,' clearly informing players that if they want to play for personal statistics, they should stay home.

Not limiting himself to criticizing his own association, Shoaib Akhtar extended his remarks to world cricket. He stated that for the last 15–20 years, everyone had played selfishly, which led to the current situation. He added that although cricket has existed for 500 years, it is played correctly in only 10–12 countries, unlike football, which involves 200 countries.

Pakistan's 21-year-old all-rounder, Arafat Minhaz, forced the English team to capitulate with his outstanding performance. In the ODI Three Series match, he first scored 59 runs and then took six wickets, securing an 87-run victory for Pakistan.

In the match, which took place on October 20th at Rawalpindi Stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, having lost the toss, started batting and scored 302 runs, losing 9 wickets. England's reply finished at 215 runs. This win was Pakistan's second in the tournament.

The challenging English side started their innings aggressively. Tom Banten and Ben Duckett helped the team build pressure on Pakistan, scoring 91 runs for the first wicket. However, Haris Rauf broke this partnership by dismissing Duckett, who had a score of 45. Banten scored 57 runs off 53 balls before being dismissed by Arafat Minhaz.

Subsequently, Arafat Minhaz got rid of England's captain, Harry Brook, with a score of five. Joe Root and Sam Curran tried to stabilize the game, but Naseem Shah dismissed Root, who was scoring 33 runs. Then Haris Rauf removed Curran (27 runs), worsening England's problems.

After this, Arafat Minhaz became the target of Jordan Cox and Jamie Overton. Minhaz did not stop there, consecutively dismissing Will Jacks and Adil Rashid, thus completing his six-wicket haul. Minhaz had previously taken five or more wickets in a single ODI international match twice. England's innings concluded after 38.4 overs after Gass Atkinson was run out. Minhaz took six wickets, scoring 40 runs in 8.4 overs. Additionally, Haris Rauf secured two wickets, and Naseem Shah one.

Prior to this, Pakistan's attack also looked difficult. Gass Atkinson dismissed Fahhar Zaman on the very first ball. Sam Ayub returned to the field, scoring eight runs, while Babur Azam scored 34 runs off 52 balls, being dismissed by Will Jacks. Salman Ali Agha managed only 16 runs, and Pakistan lost four wickets, scoring 59 runs.

At that moment, Hasan Nawaz and Saad Beg managed to stabilize the innings. They added 51 runs for the fifth wicket. Saad scored 35 runs, but Gass Atkinson ended his innings. On the other hand, Hasan Nawaz continued to play aggressively, scoring 79 runs off 74 balls, including five fours and four sixes. After Hasan Nawaz was dismissed, Arafat Minhaz took full responsibility. He scored 59 runs off 58 balls, and together with Fahim Ashraf, quickly advanced Pakistan's score. They formed a partnership of 72 runs for the seventh wicket. Fahim scored 39 runs off 25 balls. In the final overs, captain Shakib Afridi helped Pakistan cross the 300-run mark, hitting two consecutive fours. He remained not out, scoring 10 runs. Sonny Baker from England took three wickets, and Gass Atkinson earned two wickets.