Head-to-head table
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 92 | 57 | 32 | 0 | 3 |
| Pakistan | 92 | 32 | 57 | 0 | 3 |
Stats via ESPNcricinfo/Wikipedia records, correct to mid-2026. The tri-series (Oct 2026) will move these numbers — this page updates after the series.
The story behind the numbers
England's lead is built almost entirely in the modern era — deeper batting, braver ODI tactics, and home conditions that suit their style. But head-to-head tables don't tell you about the matches that actually mattered:
- 1992 World Cup final, Melbourne — Imran Khan's Pakistan beat England by 22 runs to lift their only ODI World Cup. Wasim Akram's two-in-two remains the defining spell of the rivalry.
- 2017 Champions Trophy semi-final, Cardiff — Pakistan's bowlers dismantled England for 211, then chased it with 8 wickets to spare on the way to the title.
- 2019 series in England — Pakistan posted 361 at Southampton, their highest ODI total against England, and still lost. That series summed up the modern gap: Pakistan can match England's batting for a day, rarely for a series.
By the numbers
| Record | Detail |
|---|---|
| First ODI | Aug 31, 1974, Nottingham — Pakistan won by 7 wickets |
| England's highest vs Pak | 444, Nottingham 2016 |
| Pakistan's highest vs Eng | 361, Southampton 2019 |
| Pakistan's lowest vs Eng | 74 |
| Most runs (Pak) | Javed Miandad — 991 |
| Most wickets (Pak) | Shahid Afridi — 34 |
| Most runs (Eng) | Joe Root — 835 |
| Most wickets (Eng) | Chris Woakes — 31 |
My favourite Pak-England ODI memory is still the 2019 World Cup game at Trent Bridge — Pakistan defending 348 against the tournament favourites after everyone had written them off. That week, anything felt possible.
What it means for the tri-series
History says England start favourites — but Pakistan's two greatest ODI triumphs both came against England when it mattered most. Home conditions narrow the gap further. Track the live picture: Tri-series points table.
The rivalry, era by era
1974–1991: Sparring partners
The first ODI (Nottingham, 1974) went Pakistan's way by 7 wickets, and the early decades were genuinely competitive — touring Pakistan sides of the 80s, with Imran, Wasim and Waqar emerging, were never pushovers in England. The era's peak, of course, came at its very end.
1992–2005: Pakistan's golden stretch
Bookended by the 1992 World Cup final, this was the period Pakistan owned the fixtures that mattered. The 2005 home series — Pakistan winning 3–2 — was the last time Pakistan took a bilateral ODI series off England, and Inzamam's side played the kind of calm, senior cricket Pakistan have been trying to rediscover ever since.
2006–2015: England's white-ball awakening
England rebuilt their one-day cricket from the ground up, and the head-to-head tilted hard. The 2016 Nottingham ODI — England's 444, then a world record — was the statement: this is how far the two teams' white-ball philosophies had diverged.
2016–present: Mismatched, except when it isn't
England have mostly won the bilaterals, sometimes heavily — including a 3–0 home win in 2021 with a second-string side. But Pakistan keep producing the upset that matters: the 2017 Champions Trophy semifinal in Cardiff, and the 2019 World Cup win at Trent Bridge defending 348. England win the series; Pakistan win the memories.
Five matches that define it
Melbourne, 1992 — 22 runs. The World Cup final. Imran's 72, Miandad's 58, then Wasim Akram's two-in-two — Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis bowled in successive balls — to break England's chase. Pakistan's only ODI World Cup, won against England.
Cardiff, 2017 — 8 wickets. Champions Trophy semifinal. Pakistan's bowlers skittled England for 211, and the chase was done with 8 wickets in hand. England were tournament favourites; they never got going.
Nottingham, 2016 — 444. England's world-record total at the time, built on Hales' 171 and Buttler's 90 off 51. Pakistan's bowlers went around the park on a perfect batting pitch. The scoreboard summed up the modern gap in one number.
Southampton, 2019 — 361 and still lost. Pakistan posted 361 — their highest ODI total against England — and lost. If one game explains why England start favourites in every modern meeting, it's this one.
Trent Bridge, 2019 — 348 defended. Weeks later at the World Cup, Pakistan defended 348 against the hosts and eventual champions. Written off after the West Indies defeat, Pakistan produced the tournament's great upset. Funny game.
I was watching the 2019 Trent Bridge game in a room full of England fans who'd already started celebrating at the innings break. The silence by the 45th over was the sweetest sound — I didn't say a word, just sat there grinning like an idiot.
Who owned this fixture
| Player | Their rivalry story |
|---|---|
| Imran Khan | 72 in the 1992 final and the captaincy that made it happen |
| Wasim Akram | The two-in-two at the MCG; unplayable against England at his peak |
| Javed Miandad | 991 ODI runs against England — the fixture's heaviest Pakistani scorer |
| Shahid Afridi | 34 wickets against England, plus the chaos only he could cause |
| Joe Root | 835 runs — England's anchor across a decade of dominance |
| Jos Buttler | The 90 off 51 that powered the 444 |
| Babar Azam | The modern Pakistani hope in this fixture — class against the new ball |
Read about the 1992 champions: Pakistan's 1992 World Cup winning team.
Where it stands now
England arrive in Pakistan for the October 2026 tri-series as favourites on paper — deeper batting, a settled white-ball system, and a 57–32 historical cushion. But Pakistan's two greatest ODI triumphs both came against England, both when it mattered most, and home conditions in Rawalpindi and Lahore narrow every gap. The points table will tell the real story from October 18.
More: England's tri-series squad · Cricket World Cup winners
