Arafat Minhas dismisses talk of replacing Nawaz after historic debut

Pakistan spinner Arafat Minhas had a dream debut as he bagged a five-for in the first ODI against Australia. In doing so, he became the first Pakistan bowler to achieve the milestone. The young spinner, while still wet behind the ears, has an element of reliability in him. He comes off a decent Pakistan Super League season where he took nine wickets in eleven games for Multan Sultans.

Minhas is here to stay but not to replace

Minhas did not rely on beginner's luck against Australia and he is by no means a fluke. His control paired with his ability to bowl quickly off the surface makes him difficult to decipher. The dominant performance against Australia puts him alongside the team's regular spinners in the pecking order but Minhas says he is not here to replace anyone.

"I don't want to replace anyone. I want to establish myself in the team as a permanent member and contribute match-winning performances for the side," Minhas said.

Match-winning performances

He was largely the reason why Pakistan restricted the visitors to 200 runs as he dismissed threatening batters like Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, and Australia's second highest run-scorer in the game, Matt Short. 

Speaking about his impactful debut, Minhas said he had always aimed to deliver match-altering spells ever since his early days in cricket.

"I think in my past cricket as well — whether it was at U19 level, Pakistan Shaheens, or wherever I got the opportunity — I always tried to deliver match-winning and impactful performances. And I believe I have been successful in doing that," he stated.

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