Shadab Khan and Sufyan Moqim Ill Before Pakistan vs England ODI in Rawalpindi

Pakistan's two wrist spinners, Shadab Khan and Sufyan Moqim, missed the tri-series opener against Sri Lanka on 18 October because of illness. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) says both are being treated and will be considered for later matches as they recover. Pakistan play England at 1 pm PKT on Tuesday 20 October in Rawalpindi.

We read the PCB's squad update of 18 October and its series release of 17 October on 20 October 2026. The update gives no recovery date. So whether either spinner plays against England will only be clear at the toss, which the PCB has set for 12:30 pm PKT.

Shadab Khan and Sufyan Moqim were ruled out by illness

The PCB said on 18 October that both wrist spinners were ruled out of the first match of the ODI tri-series due to illness. They are being treated under the team's medical staff and will be considered for upcoming matches depending on their recovery.

The release is three sentences long. It does not name the illness, and it does not say whether either player has trained since. Read it as a fitness watch, not a ruling for the whole series.

The squad still has spin cover. Abrar Ahmed is in the 16, and Arafat Minhas bowled nine overs against Sri Lanka. Saim Ayub bowled two overs of part-time spin in that match too.

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka with pace bowlers only

Pakistan's four fast bowlers took nine Sri Lankan wickets in the 37-run win on 18 October, and the tenth batter was run out. Shaheen Shah Afridi took 3 for 55, and Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf took two each. No spinner took a wicket.

The PCB match report says the pace attack took all 10 wickets. The scorecard shows Eshan Malinga run out, so the bowlers' own count is nine. Our full report on Pakistan's 37-run win over Sri Lanka has the batting card, where Salman Ali Agha made 107.

The fast bowlers did the job, but the middle overs were hard work. Sri Lanka's fifth wicket pair added 119 runs before Faheem broke through. A wrist spinner is the usual answer to a stand like that, and Pakistan did not have one on the day.

England start their tri-series in Rawalpindi on 20 October

England play their first match of the tri-series against Pakistan on Tuesday 20 October at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The toss is at 12:30 pm and play starts at 1 pm PKT. England then play Sri Lanka at the same ground on 22 October.

England's own match page lists the same start, 13:00 local time. Harry Brook captains a 16-man squad that includes Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Adil Rashid. England arrived on 16 October and had three training sessions before this game, the PCB says.

The match-day details, including squads and the rules for this series, are in our Pakistan vs England preview for 20 October. Pakistan already lead the table after one game, as the tri-series points table shows.

Pakistan have won 32 of 92 ODIs against England

The PCB's series release gives the head-to-head record. Pakistan have played England 92 times in ODIs and won 32, while three matches ended with no result. Against Sri Lanka the record is much better: 96 wins from 160 matches.

Form is closer than the record. The PCB says Pakistan have won three of their last four ODI series, against South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia. England come in after series wins over Sri Lanka and India, and Brook says two of those went to a deciding game.

Babar Azam passed 16,000 international runs in the opener

Babar Azam reached 16,000 runs in international cricket during his 45 off 57 balls against Sri Lanka, the PCB says. He is the fifth Pakistani batter to get there, after Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Javed Miandad.

The PCB names Babar, Joe Root and Kusal Mendis as the batters to watch in this series. Shaheen Shah Afridi has captained Pakistan in 11 ODIs and won seven, according to the same release. You can see where the batters stand before the series in Pakistan's ODI player rankings.

Two things are worth watching on Tuesday. First, whether Shadab or Sufyan is named at the toss. Second, whether Pakistan bring in Abrar if neither is fit, or trust the same pace-heavy attack that beat Sri Lanka.

1. Check the toss at 12:30 pm PKT for the two playing elevens.
2. Look for Shadab Khan or Sufyan Moqim in Pakistan's eleven.
3. If neither plays, see whether Abrar Ahmed comes in.
4. Follow the result and the new points table after about 9 pm PKT.

Common questions

Why did Shadab Khan miss the match against Sri Lanka?

He was ill. The PCB said on 18 October that Shadab Khan and Sufyan Moqim were both ruled out of the first match due to illness.

Will Shadab Khan play against England on 20 October?

Not confirmed. The PCB said both players will be considered for later matches depending on their recovery. The team is named at the toss.

What time does Pakistan vs England start?

Play starts at 1 pm PKT on 20 October 2026 in Rawalpindi. The toss is at 12:30 pm.

How many ODIs have Pakistan won against England?

Pakistan have won 32 of 92 ODIs against England, with three no results, according to the PCB's series release.

Who took Pakistan's wickets against Sri Lanka?

Only fast bowlers. Shaheen Shah Afridi took three, and Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf took two each. One batter was run out.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the PCB press releases "Update on Pakistan ODI squad" (18 October 2026), "Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka set to begin preparations for ODI World Cup with tri-series" (17 October 2026) and the PCB match report for 18 October on pcb.com.pk on 20 October 2026. We read the England and Wales Cricket Board match page for the 13:00 local start on the same day. Bowling figures are from the match scorecard we used for our 18 October report. We could not confirm the nature of the illness, whether either player has trained since, or Pakistan's playing eleven, which was not named when we wrote this, before the toss.