- Suggested slug: shaheen-wants-top-order-fire-minhas-joins-afridi-razzaq
- Category: Sports
- Focus keyphrase: Shaheen Afridi Arafat Minhas England ODI
- SEO title: Shaheen Afridi Praises Arafat Minhas After England ODI Win
- Meta description: Arafat Minhas scored 59 and took 6 for 40 as Pakistan beat England in Rawalpindi, joining Afridi and Razzaq in an elite all-round list.
- Tags: Shaheen Afridi, Arafat Minhas, Pakistan vs England, ODI tri-series, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Rawalpindi
- Original element: local Rawalpindi home-ground angle + verified series context from our earlier 2nd-ODI match reports
- Source: Geo Super, https://www.geosuper.tv/latest/60593-shaheen-wants-pakistan-top-order-to-fire-despite-back-to-back-victories and https://www.geosuper.tv/latest/60592-minas-joins-afridi-razzaq-in-elusive-list-of-pakistan-all-rounders (both published 2026-10-20)
- Story date: Tuesday, 2026-10-20
- Image note: real licensed photo from the 2nd ODI at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium; caption must carry “Image: Geo Super”
Shaheen Wants Top Order to Fire as Minhas Joins Afridi and Razzaq in Elite Club
Pakistan beat England by 87 runs in the second ODI of the home tri-series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, but Shaheen Afridi left the ground with a warning for his batters as well as praise for the match-winner, Arafat Minhas.
Chasing 303, England were bowled out for 215 in 38.4 overs as Minhas ran through them with 6 for 40 in 8.4 overs. Earlier, the 21-year-old had scored 59 off 58 balls with nine fours, becoming only the third Pakistani to score a fifty and take a five-wicket haul in the same ODI.
Minhas joins Afridi and Razzaq
Minhas now sits alongside two of Pakistan’s greatest all-rounders. Shahid Afridi achieved the fifty-plus-five-wickets double three times: 61 and 5 for 40 against England at Lahore in 2000, 75 and 5 for 35 against Sri Lanka in 2011, and 76 and 7 for 12 against West Indies in 2013, which remains the only seven-wicket haul in the list.
Abdul Razzaq managed it once, with 70 and 5 for 48 against India in 2000. Minhas, with 59 and 6 for 40 against England in 2026, becomes the third Pakistani to enter the list, and the first to do so on home soil in Rawalpindi.
It was only his fifth ODI. The left-arm spinner had debuted in the format against Australia in May 2026, and few would have predicted such a complete performance this early in his career.
How the match unfolded
Pakistan’s innings was a story of two halves. Fakhar Zaman fell to Gus Atkinson off the first ball of the match, Saim Ayub made 8, and Babar Azam laboured to 32 off 54 balls before Will Jacks removed him. At 133 for 5, the hosts were in trouble.
Hasan Nawaz changed the tone with 79, and Minhas played the innings of his career to lift Pakistan to 302 for 9, with Faheem Ashraf adding a useful late cameo. As covered in our match report, the lower middle order bailed out the top order once again.
England never got going in reply. The innings unravelled inside 39 overs, with Minhas’s six-wicket haul doing the bulk of the damage as Pakistan sealed back-to-back victories in the series.
Shaheen’s message: top order must fire
At the post-match presentation, Shaheen Afridi made it clear that the win had papered over a familiar crack.
“It was really good how Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, and Faheem Ashraf batted, but we also need our top order to fire,” he said.
He added: “As a team we have done some good things, but we need to improve further as we are looking to build towards the World Cup.”
The Rawalpindi crowd, which had roared every Minhas wicket, will have recognised the truth in it. Pakistan’s top three contributed little on a good batting surface, and stronger opponents in the tri-series and beyond will punish such starts.
Praise for the all-rounder
Shaheen reserved special praise for Minhas, who was rightly the story of the day.
“Arafat is a very good talent, and he is a proper all-rounder, which bodes well for us. Hopefully, he will deliver for us in many more games in the future,” he said.
He added: “The form of Arafat and fast bowlers is a good sign for us.”
Pakistan’s search for a genuine all-rounder has been one of the longest-running debates in the country’s cricket. Minhas, at 21, has now forced his name into that conversation with a performance that stands next to Afridi and Razzaq. Two wins in a row at home give the side momentum, but Shaheen’s message was unmistakable: the job is far from done.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the Pakistanis with a fifty and five wickets in the same ODI?
Shahid Afridi (three times), Abdul Razzaq (once) and Arafat Minhas, who joined the list with 59 and 6 for 40 against England in Rawalpindi in 2026.
What did Shaheen Afridi say about Pakistan’s top order?
He said the win was good but added: “It was really good how Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, and Faheem Ashraf batted, but we also need our top order to fire.”
How old is Arafat Minhas and when did he debut?
Minhas is 21. He made his ODI debut against Australia in May 2026, and the Rawalpindi match against England was only his fifth ODI.
