Add StudioX as a preferred source on GooglePakistan all-rounder Arafat Minhas, 21, has emerged as one of the country’s most exciting young cricketers after a match-winning innings in the final of the ODI tri-nation series against Sri Lanka, according to Al Jazeera.
A final rescued in Lahore
Pakistan were five wickets down and needed 125 runs from 79 balls at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday when Minhas came to the crease. He joined Hasan Nawaz in front of a home crowd waiting to see whether another batting collapse would follow.
Minhas had taken no wickets in Sri Lanka’s innings. He still started the rebuild calmly, and the chase slowly turned in Pakistan’s favour.
The turning point came with 39 runs needed from 27 balls. He swung across the line at a delivery from Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka and sent it over midwicket for six. He hit four more sixes and finished on 61 off 31 balls, and Pakistan won the trophy.
Minhas was named player of the series, having taken nine wickets and scored 149 runs with two half-centuries. He said he enjoyed the pressure of the chase and tried to stay calm.
Record-setting run in 2026
Earlier this month, on October 10 in Rawalpindi, Minhas starred against England. He made 59 off 58 balls to help Pakistan recover from 81-4 and reach 302-9. He then took 6-40 as England were bowled out for 215, giving Pakistan an 87-run win.
England had been 91 without loss before he broke through. His wickets included captain Harry Brook, bowled for five by a ball that turned past his defensive shot. Brook said afterwards: “Is he under 21? I didn’t know.”
The performance made Minhas the third Pakistani to score a half-century and take at least five wickets in a men’s ODI, after Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq. Former England captain Nasser Hussain praised his all-round display during the broadcast.
Minhas made his ODI debut against Australia in May. He took 5-32, becoming the first Pakistani to claim a five-wicket haul on debut, and won player of the series in that contest too. He told the Pakistan Cricket Board he would rather be seen as a “complete all-rounder” than as a batting or bowling one.
A father’s unfinished dream
Minhas, like many young Pakistani players, once wanted to be a fast bowler. At eight, his father Kashif gave him a leather ball and told him to bowl left-arm spin. Kashif had played under-19 cricket for his hometown team, Multan, but gave up the game at his own father’s urging to take over the family’s car showroom business.
Years later, Kashif noticed something special as his sons played with toy eggs and plastic balls. He told Al Jazeera their style seemed to be a natural gift, and he bought full kits for the boys.
Minhas moved quickly through Pakistan’s age-group system. He was named the country’s best under-16 player and then joined the under-19 side. In 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns threatened his development, Kashif built a practice facility on the family’s rooftop in Multan, with a net, a mat pitch and floodlights.
In 2024, Minhas played a key part as Pakistan reached the semifinals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup, where they lost to Australia by one wicket.
His younger brother Sameer, an opening batter, was included last week in Pakistan’s Test squad for a two-match series against Sri Lanka in November. In his first first-class season, Sameer has scored 405 runs in seven matches. The youngest brother, Abdullah, is also pursuing cricket as a left-handed batter and leg-spinner.
Kashif hopes all three sons will one day play together for Pakistan and win an ICC trophy. Minhas said after the England match that the series was not his final goal, and that his ultimate aim lies much further ahead.
Source: Al Jazeera
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
