Pakistan VS England Match ball by ball Commentary

Time to move on - The first two matches of this ODI tri-series have gone the way of the hosts, who are shaping up to be a well-rounded unit. Pakistan virtually have one leg in the final after this win against England, who now go on to face Sri Lanka in a crucial encounter, and whichever team loses that game will be in heaps of trouble. The third match of this series, and the last one in Rawalpindi, will be played between England and Sri Lanka on Thursday, October 22, and will begin at 8 am GMT. However, as usual, you can join us much earlier for the build-up as well. Until then, take care and goodbye!

Player of the Match - No prizes for guessing, and Arafat Minhas is given the accolade for his stellar all-round showing. He scored a crucial 59 (58 balls), then took 6/40, also managing a late run-out.

The same old story for England - England have been victims of their own doing off late in One Day Internationals, and this game was no different. After having the opposition at 81/4, they allowed the Pakistan middle order to dictate terms and ended up conceding 20-30 runs more than they should have. With the bat, Ben Duckett and Tom Banton provided the perfect platform with a quick 91-run stand, but it all went downhill once the first wicket fell. Duckett fell in the 40s, and Banton also got out after notching up his fifty. Joe Root and Sam Curran got starts but also fell in quick succession, leaving Will Jacks and the lower order with a lot to do. Eventually, they just kept losing wickets in a heap and suffered a hefty defeat.

The Arafat Minhas show - A day to remember for the lanky all-rounder, and he now becomes only the third Pakistani to score a fifty and take a five-wicket haul in an ODI game. He really stood up to the challenge when the chips were down with the bat and with the ball, he was simply outstanding, going on to pick up 6 wickets and even racking up a run-out, which sealed the win for his side. Apart from Arafat Minhas, Pakistan had plenty of other individuals who did a stellar job. Hasan Nawaz was one such player, who gave the impetus his team needed with the bat, and also Faheem Ashraf, whose cameo propelled Pakistan to 302. With the ball, Haris Rauf was crucial as he picked up a couple of vital wickets, and then Naseem Shah came back with fire in his second spell as well.

Pakistan make it two out of two - What a start to the tri-series for the hosts, and Pakistan have brushed aside both Sri Lanka and England to assert their dominance at the top of the table. It was a clinical performance from Pakistan, especially in the way they bounced back in both innings after not getting an ideal start. As for England, this loss will hurt as they have let themselves down with both bat and ball, and will look to bounce back quickly.

Is that a run-out? Yes, indeed. Replays confirm it and Gus Atkinson is well short of his crease here.

Sonny Baker is the last batter in for England, and he will also face the hat-trick ball.