Sameer Minhas wants to ‘win it for Pakistan’ as the U19 World Cup inches closer

Since his debut in Youth ODIs, Sameer Minhas has not gone more than three innings without a century. One could argue that a sample size of just nine YODIs doesn’t offer much to make accurate inferences, but Sameer is hardly looking for any. He just wants to win the upcoming U19 ODI World Cup for Pakistan, and perhaps while he is at it, bag the Player of the Tournament award as well. 

“Our simple plan is to win the World Cup. Personally, my first goal is to win it for Pakistan. The second is to become player of the tournament.”

Fastest century against Zimbabwe

His most recent century came against Zimbabwe, where he scored 114 off only 51 balls. He reached his hundred in 42 balls, breaking Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s record for the fastest YODI hundred. Interestingly, he only realised the magnanimity of what he had achieved after PCB posted it on its social handles. 

“I just wanted to contribute to the team,” Sameer said of his record-breaking innings. “After my half-century, I decided to accelerate. When I saw the PCB post about the new record, it was an incredible feeling. Representing Pakistan and making a mark like that is something special.”

Love for the game

Sameer is the younger brother of Arafat Minhas, a Pakistani spinner who has played four T20I games for Pakistan’s senior team. The two brothers, as told by the 19-year-old, get their love for the game from their father, who was a U-19 cricketer back in the day. 

“My father saw how much we enjoyed cricket and asked us to try the leather ball,” Sameer recalls. “My brother started first, and then I followed. That moment changed everything.”

Sameer Minhas is part of Pakistan’s World Cup squad, and his red-hot form puts him among the players to watch out for in the mega-event. 

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