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England lose their first odi in Pakistan by 87 runs as they collapse from 177-4 to 215 all out. The defeat exposes England's dependence on Joe Root and Harry Brook - who both were dismissed by genuinely good balls - and the fragility of some of their newer players. England were a touch sloppy in the field and not all that smart at times in the runchase having been 91-0. There's a lot of work to do to make them genuine contenders for the next World Cup as Baz McCullum reflected in his post-match comments.
The Simons review the match and where England could improve and also discuss South Africa's brilliant fightback against Australia in Port Elizabeth led by the brave, indefatigable Temba Bavuma.
Also - when did football overtake cricket as the most popular sport in the world?
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"SLOPPY ENGLAND UPSTAGED BY PAKISTAN ROOKIES" is an episode of The Analyst Inside Cricket. Runtime 38 min. Published October 21, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.