Just as England thought they had got their white-ball house in order, their fallibility against spin came back to haunt them: their final nine wickets toppling for 95 runs in heavy tri-series defeat to Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
In a throwback to the kind of performance that saw the one-day team plunge as low as eighth in the rankings, temporarily threatening their direct qualification for next year’s World Cup, they somehow ceded the momentum of the match from a position of 120 for one in the 19th over.
From the moment Tom Banton became the first domino soon after registering a third successive half century in this format, slapping the previously unheralded left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas straight to midwicket, there was a familiar inevitability about what followed.
In half a dozen victories versus Sri Lanka and India earlier this year, England appeared to have struck the perfect tempo against spin but here they became overly cautious, scratching through a boundary-less, 48 ball spell in mid innings that saw the required rate surge from under a run a ball to over seven an over.
England captain Harry Brook said afterwards that his side were ‘pretty happy’ being set a target of 303 – and what would have represented their third successful highest chase in Asia.
But against Minhas’ collection of arm balls, subtle variations and moderate turn, they imploded. Only Brook amongst the half dozen victims could argue that he had been undone by a delivery that truly ripped off a surface upon which the 21-year-old all-rounder claimed a debut five-for versus Australia in May.
England collapsed to a disappointing 87-run defeat against Pakistan on Tuesday in Rawalpindi
England were scratchy and cautious and succumbed to spinner Arafat Minhas, who took 6-40
In recent months, England have shown improvement in their rotation of strike against the spinners through the middle overs, yet here neglecting the chance to be aggressive proved detrimental. Until Jamie Overton, a player much more accomplished walking to the crease to face seam, did so fatally with an awkward lunge to long-on after only a couple of sighters. From seven down, England lasted only a further dozen deliveries.
These collective travails rekindled memories of the Test team being tortured by turn in Pakistan two years ago, spoiling what had until that point been a tactically adept performance.
Yes, there was some shoddy fielding, with Gus Atkinson and wicketkeeper Jordan Cox, twice, squandering presentable chances that allowed Minhas and another newbie Hasan Nawaz to post career-best ODI scores.
But at the start of a 21-game minimum stretch heading into the 2027 World Cup, Brook highlighted the kind of flexibility England are going to need both from venue to venue and within game if they are to challenge for a second global 50-over title in southern Africa.
England begin their campaign with fixtures against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Windhoek, Namibia, and also play a couple of group matches in Port Elizabeth, which at sea level plays very differently to the bouncier conditions of South Africa’s Highveld grounds, Centurion and the Wanderers.
Their planning is focused on adapting in real time and it was therefore encouraging to see Brook adopt a different game plan to the one that has seen England win three straight series coming into this triangular tournament.
Since the playing conditions in ODIs were changed in July 2025, reducing two white balls to one after 34 overs of an innings, England have used reverse swing as a primary weapon at the death, but with minimal movement on offer, Brook became creative instead, rotating six bowlers including three spinners in the final 10 overs.
It might not have had the greatest effect as Pakistan smacked 91 runs in that period, but opting for variety rather than uniformity in the attack will undoubtedly serve this team better in the long run.
England have improved against spin recently but their lack of aggression was detrimental
Similarly, the promotion of Sam Curran to number five – a tactic used against the Indians in midsummer, before injury struck – showed adaptability within the batting too.
Previously when Curran was deployed in such a position back in 2023, it was because he was the best of a bad bunch of options on a tour of Bangladesh spurned by players focusing on franchise gigs.
Here, his left-handedness broke up a middle-order bank of right-handers. Technically, he is also one of England’s best strikers of spin. Not that you could tell on a day when everyone flunked against it.
