Arafat Minhas rises as Pakistan's new all-rounder with 61 off 31 in tri-series final

Pakistan's 21-year-old all-rounder Arafat Minhas has swiftly earned a reputation as a match-winner, known for keeping a calm head under pressure.

In the final of the one-day international tri-nation series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan were in trouble when Minhas walked in to bat. At the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the hosts had lost five wickets and needed 125 runs from 79 balls. His partnership with Hasan Nawaz began in front of an expectant home crowd.

Minhas had gone wicketless in Sri Lanka's innings, but showed few signs of pressure with the bat and began the repair job. Within a few overs, the run chase had swayed back in Pakistan's favour, although the final remained tense.

With the hosts needing 39 runs from 27 balls, Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka bowled a delivery at length, angling the ball into Minhas. Unnerved by the occasion, the batter swung across the line and sent the ball over midwicket for six, igniting the crowd and rekindling hope.

Minhas then coolly hit four more sixes, finished with 61 runs off 31 balls, helped Pakistan clinch the trophy and took the player of the series award. He ended the series with nine wickets and 149 runs, including two half-centuries.

Minhas said he enjoyed the pressure of the final run chase and tried to remain calm, adding that the team needed someone to believe the target could be achieved.

Before the final, Minhas had produced one of the finest bowling performances of his young international career against England in Rawalpindi on October 10. He first scored 59 off 58 balls to help Pakistan recover from 81 for 4 to post 302 for 9, then took six wickets for 40 runs as England were bowled out for 215, handing Pakistan an 87-run win.

England were 91 without losing a wicket before Minhas dismantled their batting order. Among his victims was Harry Brook, who was bowled for five by a delivery that turned past his attempted defensive shot. The England captain was left stunned and said after the match that he had not known Minhas was under 21.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain said during the broadcast that a half-century, six wickets and a run out showed coach Mike Hesson wanted all-round cricketers and had found one in Minhas. The performance made him 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.

On his ODI debut against Australia in May, Minhas took 5 for 32, becoming, according to the report, the first Pakistani to claim a five-wicket haul on debut, and also won the player of the series award.

In an interview with the Pakistan Cricket Board, Minhas said he preferred not to label players as batting or bowling all-rounders and would rather be seen as a complete all-rounder.

His childhood helps explain the rise. At about eight years old he wanted to be a fast bowler, but his father Kashif handed him a leather ball and instructed him to take up left-arm spin. Kashif had represented Multan at under-19 level but had to give up his own dream to take over the family's car showroom business. In 2020, when the Covid-19 lockdown threatened his sons' development, Kashif built a practice facility with a net, a mat pitch and floodlights on the rooftop of his house in Multan.

Minhas progressed rapidly through Pakistan's age-group system, was the country's best under-16 player in his final year at that level, and broke into the under-19 team. In 2024 Pakistan reached the semifinals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup and lost to Australia by one wicket, with Minhas playing a key role. His younger brother Sameer, a right-handed opening batter, was included last week in Pakistan's Test squad for a two-match series against Sri Lanka in November after scoring 405 runs in seven matches in his first first-class season. Their youngest brother Abdullah is also pursuing cricket as a left-handed batter and leg-spinner. Kashif's dream is to see all three sons play together for Pakistan and win an ICC trophy.