LAHORE: Pakistan Under-19 opener Sameer Minhas, who recently broke multiple records in youth cricket, has been acquired by Islamabad United for Rs 1.9 crore in the PSL player auction.
The Lahore Expo Center hosted an auction which attracted more than 800 players from different countries and local teams who formed squads of 16 to 20 members each. Pakistani all-rounder Faheem Ashraf was the first player selected when Islamabad United chose him for Rs 8.5 crore.
Sameer Minhas gained attention after scoring a record-breaking century in just 42 balls during the Under-19 Tri-Series final against Zimbabwe, marking the fastest century in youth ODI history. Minhas scored 172 runs in 113 balls during the final match against India while breaking the record for most boundaries hit during a single youth ODI innings. Minhas finished the tournament with 447 runs and received the Player of the Tournament award.
The Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United engaged in a bidding war before Islamabad United acquired the young star for Rs 1.9 crore.
Sameer Minhas shatters world record with fastest Under-19 century
Earlier, Sameer Minhas, the Pakistan Under-19 opener scored the fastest century in Under-19 cricket, surpassing the long-standing world record of the Indian player who held it till now.
The rising star of Pakistan made this historic move during the final of the One-Day Tri-Series in Harare against the Zimbabwean U-19 team, the hosts. Minhas finished the one-day match with his three figures of century in merely four dozen balls, which made it the fastest hundred ever recorded in youth one-day international cricket.
The prior record holder was India’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who had scored a century off 52 balls against England in July last year.
Meanwhile, Minhas did not let the final slow him down as he scored 114 runs from 51 balls which included 17 fours and five sixes. His intense batting knocked down the Zimbabwe bowlers and hence proved to be the winning factor in the match.
Pakistan Under-19 team, which only needed to score 159 runs, did it quite easily, losing just one wicket and thus, won the One-Day Tri-Series title without any difficulty.
The record-breaking performance of Sameer Minhas has not only indicated the increasing power of Pakistan in the youth category but also the upcoming star batters in international cricket.
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