Pakistan reel at 94-4 as England bowlers strike in Rawalpindi

Fakhar, Saim and Babar fall early before Adil Rashid removes Salman Agha to leave hosts under pressure

Pakistan were struggling at 94 for four after 21.1 overs against England in the second match of the ODI tri-series on Tuesday, with the visitors making the most of their decision to bowl first.

England captain Harry Brook won the toss and elected to field at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and his bowlers responded by removing three of Pakistan’s top-order batters before spinner Adil Rashid dismissed Salman Ali Agha to deepen the hosts’ troubles.

Gus Atkinson struck with the first ball of the innings, dismissing opener Fakhar Zaman for a golden duck when Joe Root took the catch at midwicket.

Sonny Baker then removed Saim Ayub for eight, with Sam Curran completing the catch as the left-hander attempted to attack the young seamer.

Babar Azam initially steadied the innings, scoring 34 before Will Jacks bowled the former captain with a straight delivery to leave Pakistan at 59-3.

Young wicket-keeper batsman Saad Baig attempted to rebuild alongside Salman, who had scored a century in Pakistan’s opening victory over Sri Lanka. The pair helped the hosts recover from their early setbacks, but Rashid broke the stand by removing Salman for ten.

Pakistan’s innings was left in the hands of the middle and lower order, with Baig among those tasked with rebuilding against an England attack that maintained pressure through pace and spin.

Pakistan began the tri-series with a 37-run win over Sri Lanka and will be looking to recover from the early collapse to post a competitive total against England.

The three-team competition also features Sri Lanka, with the teams competing for a place in the final scheduled for October 31.

Earlier England won the toss and elected to bowl.

Pakistan have retained the same playing XI that beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in their opening match, while England have been boosted by the return of leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who missed the previous series due to fitness issues.

“We will be trying to restrict them and then will try to chase that,” England captain Harry Brook said after winning the toss.

Brook said England were looking forward to the challenge, despite the change in opposition and conditions.

“We have an experienced side, but this is a different series, different occasion and we will be trying to do well,” he said.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said his team would assess the conditions during the opening overs before looking to post a competitive total.

“I hope we will be able to post a good total,” Afridi said.

He added that Pakistan had room for improvement with the bat despite their winning start to the tournament.

“I feel we played like 50 percent in batting. A few batsmen are not in touch, but hope things will go in the right direction,” he said.

Pakistan will be looking to build on their victory over Sri Lanka as they aim to maintain their momentum in the three-team competition..

Pakistan squad: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Saad Baig, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Arafat Minhas, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

England squad: Ben Duckett, Tom Banton, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jordan Cox (wicket-keeper), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Sonny Baker