Youngsters Hasan Nawaz and Arafat Minhas led Pakistan’s fightback to help the hosts post 302 in the One-day International tri-series match against England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The duo got together with Pakistan reeling at 133-5 in the 28th over — with Pakistan’s centurion from the last match Salman Ali Agha already back in the hut — and went on to put up 78 off 74.
Hasan departed with 79 off 74 against his name after smashing five fours and four sixes before Faheem Ashraf provided a late-order boost with 39 off 26 — the knock featuring five fours and a six.
The veteran all-rounder’s contribution became part of a 49-ball 72-run stand with Arafat, who got out not before hitting 59 off 58 (nine fours) before captain Shaheen Shah Afridi’s five-ball 10 took Pakistan past the 300-run mark.
Pakistan got off to a disastrous start after England elected to field, with Gus Atkinson removing Fakhar Zaman for a first-ball duck in the opening over, caught by Joe Root at short midwicket.
Saim Ayub briefly counterattacked, striking a boundary off Sonny Baker, but the young opener departed for eight after skying a Sonny Baker Baker to Sam Curran in the sixth over, leaving the hosts at 31-2.
Babar Azam and Saad Baig attempted to steady the innings, adding 28 runs for the third wicket. Babar, who struck four boundaries in his 52-ball 34, struggled to accelerate against England’s disciplined attack before Will Jacks breached his defences in the 15th over, bowling him as he attempted to work the ball across the line.
Saad and Salman then put together a 23-run stand, but the pressure mounted when Adil Rashid dismissed the latter for 16 in the 19th over as Salman miscued a sweep and was caught by Atkinson at deep fine leg, leaving Pakistan reeling at 81-4.
Saad and Hasan offered some resistance, with the former finding the boundary through cover and lofting Rashid over mid-off, while Hasan began to counterattack with a six over long-on.
The pair added 52 runs for the fifth wicket before Atkinson returned to dismiss Saad for 35 off 54 balls, caught by Curran at deep square leg while attempting to pull a short delivery.
Hasan and Arafat subsequently changed the complexion of the innings with their crucial partnership.
Hasan brought up his half-century with a controlled cut past backward point before launching Rashid over long-on and punishing Atkinson with a clean strike over midwicket. He also produced a fluent cover drive and a fierce cut against Baker to keep the scoreboard moving.
Arafat gradually expanded his range, flat-batting Atkinson through the gap between mid-off and cover before hammering Jamie Overton over long-on.
Against Curran, the left-hander found the boundary twice in the 38th over, clubbing one delivery over the off-side before smoking a slower ball deep into the leg-side.
Hasan’s innings ended on 79 when Overton switched tactics after repeatedly testing him with short deliveries. The right-hander was beaten by a well-directed yorker in the 40th over, which rattled his stumps with Pakistan at 211-6.
Arafat continued the recovery, combining with Faheem in a brisk seventh-wicket stand. Faheem brought immediate urgency, driving Overton exquisitely through cover before taking on Rashid with consecutive boundaries through long-on. He then launched Joe Root over wide long-on for six as the partnership gathered momentum.
Arafat reached his half-century and continued to attack, driving through the off-side and punishing anything short. Faheem struck five fours and a six in his 26-ball 39 before Curran dismissed him in the 49th over, with Jacks taking the catch at deep midwicket.
Arafat’s fine knock of 59 ended in the 48th over when he skied Baker to Harry Brook at cover. Shaheen then struck two boundaries in a five-ball 10 to push Pakistan past 300.