Pakistan’s next generation of cricketers look all set to take the world by storm with their immense talent. These cricketers have some top talent for their age and could be world-beaters if all goes well along the way. The Pakistan Shaheens (U-19s) have some stellar cricketers in their lineup and other emerging stars have shown their potential to become great stars.
Let’s check out Pakistan’s next generation of emerging stars most likely to take world cricket by storm.
1. Arafat Minhas
Minhas was born on January 2, 2005 and is one of the top Pakistan Under-19 cricketers to look out for. The talented youngster hails from Multan and starred in several teams from an early age. Arafat featured in red-ball club cricket at just 9 years old and has been a part of U-13 and U-16 games in his career.
Minhas won player of the tournament at the National U-19 Championship of 2021/2022. He was the captain of Gwadar Sharks at the Pakistan Junior League 2022 and featured in that tournament’s all-star team. He has also been part of the List A team for Southern Punjab where he made his debut on December 2022 at the Pakistan Cup.
Arafat was also on the team for Multan Sultans’ supplementary side at the Pakistan Super League (PSL) draft. He has been part of the Pakistan U-19s and now plays for the senior Test squad. Arafat was chosen by the interim selection committee along with the talented duo of Basit Ali and Mohammed Zeeshan.
Minhas’ rise as one of Pakistan’s hottest young prospects in recent years makes him a top emerging star to keep an eye on.
2. Haseebullah Khan
Haseebullah was born in 2022 and has already become a top name among young Pakistan cricketers barely over two decades later. The skilled batter has become an exciting prospect for Pakistan in recent years and has gone on to achieve some great records already.
One of these records came in the U-19 World Cup in 2022 where he earned recognition as the second-highest runs scorer. Khan’s impressive performance at the youngster-only event earned him a call up to Baluchistan for List A Cricket at the 2021/2022 Pakistan Cup.
Haseebullah registered his arrival to professional cricket by smashing in 614 runs in 12 innings making him a top List A cricketer. His exhilarating performance earned Baluchistan the title and he has become a top choice for many teams since that event.
3. Qasim Akram
Akram has become a top star to watch out for since he broke out onto the cricket scene few years ago. The expert cricketer sees Muhammad Hafeez as his role model and seeks to emulate the Pakistan cricketer’s exploits in international cricket.
Akram was the skipper of Pakistan’s team at the 2022 U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup. He led the team to the West Indies and showed his talent against Sri Lanka in the playoffs. Akram showed his stellar all-rounder skills to snatch a century and five wickets in one game.
He has gone on to become one of Pakistan’s most popular young cricketers after featuring for Karachi Kings in the PSL. His performances after the U-19 World Cup have also gone to cement his status as a top breakout star in Pakistan cricket.
The former U-19s skipper also showed his prowess against Zimbabwe when the Pakistan Shaheens faced Zimbabwe at a recent tour. He has also performed beyond expectations at tournaments like the 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup tour and is a top youngster from Pakistan to look out for in the coming years.
Read: Can Pakistan win the 2023 ODI World Cup?
4. Omair Bin Yousuf
Omair Bin Yousuf has grown to become one of Pakistan’s hottest young talents in recent years. The 1999-born cricketer showed glimpses of his exciting talent for several seasons that has earned him a place on this list.
His stellar performances during the tour of Zimbabwe also showed why he is one of top young players from Pakistan. He got an excellent bat outing at this event, amassing 348 runs over two 4-day game periods. All these happened in a mind-blowing three innings against the opposition.
He also got an exciting 250 N/O tally at this event to further register his immense depth of talent.
5. Mehran Mumtaz
Mumtaz has become a promising player for Pakistan ever since he got onto the scene at the under-19 World Cup in the West Indies. His exploits in 2022 showed an exciting skillset that brought much attention to the team. His fifteen wickets at the tournament included a couple of five-wicket hauls, making him a top talent Pakistan could bank on in the future.
