Pakistan vs England in Lahore: final spot on the line today
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Pakistan play England in Lahore today in the fourth match of the ODI tri-series. A win books Pakistan a place in the final on October 31.
- Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first at Gaddafi Stadium. England have lost both their games so far and need a win to stay in the race.
- Arafat Minhas is the player to watch. He scored 59 runs and took six wickets when these teams met in Rawalpindi five days ago.
Pakistan face England in Lahore today. The prize is a place in the tri-series final. A win for Pakistan seals it.
A loss for England leaves them close to elimination.
An ODI is a one-day cricket match. Each team bats for 50 overs. Three teams play in this tri-series: Pakistan, England, and Sri Lanka.
Each team plays the others twice. The top two teams reach the final.
The match started at 1:00 PM local time at Gaddafi Stadium. Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi won the toss. He chose to bowl first.
England bat first.
What happened
Pakistan made two changes to their team. Shadab Khan replaced Faheem Ashraf. Razaullah makes his ODI debut.
He comes in for the injured Naseem Shah. That news comes from Geo News.
Pakistan will wear pink shirts for this game. The shirts raise awareness for breast cancer. That detail comes from ESPN Cricinfo.
The day is warm and sunny in Lahore. That is good news for the players. A hailstorm hit the ground the night before the game.
Ground staff covered the pitch in a rush. The covers came off soon after. Training went ahead as planned, according to ESPN Cricinfo.
This is the first ODI of the home season at Gaddafi Stadium. Lahore has bigger boundaries than Rawalpindi. Bigger boundaries mean batters must hit the ball further to score six runs.
The ground still helps batters a lot. It just does not give quite as many runs as Rawalpindi, ESPN Cricinfo reported.
Why it matters
Pakistan have won both their games so far. They beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the opener. Then they beat England by 87 runs in Rawalpindi.
Two wins from two is a strong start.
England have lost both their games. They lost to Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Then they lost to Sri Lanka in a wild game.
That is why this match matters so much for them.
A Pakistan win today books their place in the final. The final is on Saturday, October 31. It would also push England to the edge of elimination. That would mean a third straight ODI defeat for England.
England can still fight back with a win. A win keeps their hopes alive. It also sets up a tense last group game.
That game is England against Sri Lanka.
The head-to-head record is close in one sense. The teams have met in 93 ODIs. England have won 57. Pakistan have won 33. Three games had no result.
Those numbers come from Khel Now.
England have a poor record at this ground. They have won just two of eight games at Gaddafi Stadium. Those wins came in 1987 and 2005. That fact comes from ESPN Cricinfo.
The Rawalpindi rematch
These teams met just five days ago. Pakistan won that game by 87 runs. It was a famous win for one young player.
Pakistan scored 302 runs for nine wickets. Hasan Nawaz top-scored with 79 runs. Arafat Minhas scored 59 runs from 58 balls.
England were bowled out for 215 runs. Tom Banton scored 57 for England.
Minhas was the star of that game. He scored runs with the bat. Then he took six wickets for 40 runs with the ball.
He also ran out Gus Atkinson to finish the game. He was named player of the match.
England started well in that game. Banton and Ben Duckett put on 91 runs for the first wicket. Then the game turned.
Minhas bowled captain Harry Brook for just five runs. England lost their last seven wickets for only 50 runs. That collapse is why England lost by so much.
The full story of that game is in our Rawalpindi scorecard explainer. It explains the tri-series format and the match in plain words.
England's Sri Lanka nightmare
England's second game was even stranger. They scored 429 runs against Sri Lanka. That is a huge total in ODI cricket.
They still lost the game.
Captain Harry Brook scored 202 runs from 116 balls. It was the first double century by an England man in ODIs. But he still finished on the losing side.
No other double century scorer in ODI cricket has lost the game. That fact comes from ESPN Cricinfo.
England's bowlers could not defend the total. Sam Curran bowled nine overs. He conceded 103 runs.
That is a very high number for one bowler.
Adil Rashid did not play in that game. His absence was a big talking point. Rashid is England's main leg spinner.
A leg spinner turns the ball away from right-handed batters. England may bring him back for Lahore. That call comes from ESPN Cricinfo.
Players to watch
Minhas is the first name on the list. He is only 21 years old. He bowls left-arm spin.
He also bats well down the order. England have no simple answer to him yet.
Banton is England's form batter. He scored a fifty in each of England's two games. He scored 57 in Rawalpindi.
England need him to bat longer this time. A fifty is good. A hundred wins games.
Saim Ayub is under pressure for Pakistan. He has scored just 15 runs in two tri-series games. His bowling has not helped much either.
He bowled 10 overs without a wicket. Those overs cost 61 runs. Those numbers come from ESPN Cricinfo.
Shaheen Afridi is close to a landmark. He is one wicket away from 150 ODI wickets. He would be the eighth Pakistan fast bowler to reach that mark.
A fast bowler bowls at high speed. Shaheen leads Pakistan's attack.
Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman are Pakistan's star batters. Both were out cheaply in Rawalpindi. Babar scored 34 runs.
Fakhar was out first ball. Pakistan will want more from them in Lahore.
What happens next
The winner of this game takes a big step. Pakistan go straight to the final with a win. England stay alive with a win.
The last group game then decides the second finalist.
The final is on October 31. It is the biggest game of the series. The team that lifts the trophy wins the tri-series.
Fans in Pakistan can watch on PTV Sports. The game also streams on Tapmad, Tamasha, and PCB Live. Those details come from Khel Now.
For more cricket this week, read our UAE vs Netherlands League 2 preview. It covers another ODI series in Dubai.
Today is about one simple question. Can Pakistan finish the job in Lahore? Or can England save their series?
The answer comes over the next few hours at Gaddafi Stadium.
Related stories
Why Is Altitude Sickness Worse for Some People?
Altitude sickness hits some people harder because of genetics, ascent speed, and prior history, not fitness level. Here is what raises risk
Why Do You Get Blisters When Hiking and How to Prevent Them
Friction plus moisture plus heat equals a blister. Learn why hiking breeds all three, and the boots, socks, and tape system that keeps
How to choose hiking boots for beginners: fit, features, and break-in
Beginners should buy for fit first: snug everywhere, tight nowhere, with a thumb's width at the toes. Here is how to size, test,