Pakistan Set England 303-Run Target in Rawalpindi ODI

RAWALPINDI: (Mudassar Iqbal) – Pakistan set England a target of 303 runs in the second ODI of the tri-nation series after recovering from an early batting collapse in Rawalpindi.

England won the toss and elected to field first against Pakistan.

Pakistan suffered an early setback when Fakhar Zaman was caught by Joe Root off Gus Atkinson’s bowling on the first ball of the innings. Saim Ayub followed after scoring eight runs, leaving Pakistan struggling at 31.

Babar Azam was the third batter to depart, bowled by Will Jacks for 34 with the team score at 59.

Hassan Nawaz and Arafat Minhas then steadied the innings with valuable contributions. Hassan Nawaz scored 79 off 74 balls, while Arafat Minhas made 59 off 58 deliveries.

Faheem Ashraf added 39 runs, Saad Baig contributed 35, and Salman Ali Agha scored 16 to help Pakistan post a competitive total.

For England, Sonny Baker took three wickets, while Gus Atkinson claimed two.

Pakistan’s playing XI featured Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Saad Baig, Hassan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.

Pakistan entered the match after beating Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the opening game of the tri-nation series.