Sameer Minhas grabs the headlines with his second century of the tournament during the U9 Asia Cup final against India. The dazzling opening batter had earlier conjured a century against Malaysia in the group stages, that knock ending with an unbeaten 177. Minhas has been in unstoppable form for Pakistan U19 at the top of the order.
With over 400 runs in the ongoing U19 Asia Cup, Sameer is set to end as the leading run-getter, unless India's Abhigyan Kundu produces another miracle when his turn comes with the bat. Not many know that Sameer is the younger brother of Arafat Minhas, Pakistan's senior international player.
Arafat has played four T20Is for Pakistan's senior side, having made his debut in 2023 but is yet to play a game since 2024. In the domestic circuit, Arafat is highly rated as genuine all-rounder, capable of doing the powerhitting role as finisher while also being a more than steady left-arm spinner with the ball.
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Competition with the likes of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz has seen Arafat being sidelined but he remains a consistent performer in Pakistan's domestic circuit. As for Sameer, the 19-year-old has already made a stunning start to his U19 career and is on track to earn a senior call-up in the coming years.
Sameer notched up 44 against UAE and followed it up with an unbeaten 69 against Bangladesh. These knocks came after his failure against India in the league stage. The right-handed opener reserved his best for the last and avenged his low score in the league game by producing a masterly ton in the final.
The highlight of Sameer's batting is the effortless ease in his strokeplay, be it off the front foot or back foot. He is seldom rushed against pace and is a very wily customer against spin like most Asian batters are. Sameer is also a boundary-hitter, having already struck 17 fours and 9 maximums to get to 172, falling five short of his score against Malaysia.