One picture at a time! The story of Multan’s Minhas brothers through the eyes of their father
(L-R) Sameer Minhas, Arafat Minhas, Kashif Minhas (father) and Abdullah Minhas at Arafat’s wedding ceremony. (Special arrangements) NEW DELHI: Kashif Minhas has captured thousands of photographs of cricketers over the years. He is also an avid bird watcher, sometimes waiting for hours to get the perfect shot. But when his sons are playing and he has his hands full behind the lens on the ground, the hot bug can hardly keep his nerves in check.“I have thousands of photographs of international cricketers. When I am fully focused on a match, I become very attentive to every ball. Catching a catch at the right moment is exceptional. But these days, when my sons are playing, I sometimes enjoy watching live cricket more than photographing it,” Kashif Minhas, who runs a car dealership in Multan, tells TimesofIndia.Earlier this year, Kashif was picked up by television stations after his elder son Arafat Minhas, who is playing only his third ODI, made an appearance against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. When Arafat was released, Kashif, standing behind the border rope with a camera, could not contain his emotions.“I clicked his photos and as soon as he got out, I put my hand on the camera and bowed my head. The TV cameras caught that reaction and it went viral,” he says.
The world does not know about my third son, Abdullah Minhas. He is also extremely talented. He is a top-order left-handed batsman and a right-handed bowler. He was selected at under-17 level and is working hard.
Kashif Minhas
“They (broadcasters) know I’m his father, so they keep the camera on me a lot. I even asked the director not to focus on me because I didn’t want to be shown to everyone. People think I’m the official photographer of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which I’m not. I’m a freelancer for a local newspaper, the Daily Pakistan. But they told me that the visual helped them get a lot of views, kis so garner toh bhala ho raha’ (At least someone has benefit),” he adds.However, Kashif was deeply hurt by the fake stories that circulated after the visuals went viral.“The story made me sad. We have been in the car industry since 1980 and I have a big showroom in Multan. Some people have portrayed the story as if we belong to a poor family and I started taking pictures of my children because we ran out of money. It’s not like that. Photography is just my hobby. I have a very good car business and I import cars from Japan. I never needed money to finance my children’s cricket.
(L-R) Abdullah Minhas, Arafat Minhas and Sameer Minhas at the Multan Cricket Academy. (Special arrangements)
Kashif’s two sons, Arafat Minhas and Sameer Minhas, have shown the world what they are capable of. Arafat played five ODIs and seven T20Is for Pakistan. The all-rounder has already taken two five-wicket hauls, one each against Australia and England, in his short international career. Sameer Minhas lit up age-group cricket and his 172 off 113 balls against India in the 2025 U-19 Asia Cup final cannot be forgotten.Kashif says his third son is also getting ready.“The world doesn’t know about my third son Abdullah Minhas. He is also extremely talented. He is a top-order left-handed batsman and a right-handed bowler. He has been selected at the under-17 level and is a hard worker,” says the proud father.
Pakistan’s Arafat Minhas celebrates after taking the wicket of England’s Jordan Cox during the tri-series one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Like many fathers in the subcontinent, Kashif is a cricketing tragic.“I was also a cricketer. I represented my regional team in Multan. But my father asked me to quit cricket and focus on the family business. He told me to quit cricket or leave home. I left home for two or three days, but then my mother asked me to come back and give up cricket. Nothing is more important to me than my mother, so I quit,” he recalls.But one fine day, when Kashif was playing with a tape recorder ball on the porch of their car, his eyes lit up when he saw Arafat and Sameer, aged nine and seven, cutting, driving and pulling.
When I saw my children play, I immediately realized that they had something special about them. I decided that what happened to me should not happen to them. I wanted them to have an opportunity to pursue cricket.
Kashif Minhas
“The floor was wet and their hand-eye coordination was amazing. When I saw my children playing, I immediately realized that they had something special in them. I decided that what happened to me should not happen to them. I wanted them to have the opportunity to pursue cricket,” he says.“I took them to a local cricket academy and when I saw how well they played against pace, I started taking their cricket more seriously. Arafat did well in the PCB under-13 tournament, then at the under-16 and under-19 levels. Sameer followed in his footsteps and Abdullah will soon do the same. We kept trying and praying,” and Allah
Sameer Minhas tops Pakistan Youth ODI score as team leads 347/8 against India in U-19 Asia Cup final
Kashif, who had to give up his own cricketing ambitions, admits that cricket is a tough sport to succeed in and requires a lot more than just time and money.“It takes a lot of dedication. You have to make sacrifices. When I heard the news of my father’s death, I was away with the kids at their training. After his death, I had to spend a lot of time in the office. But whenever they played matches outside Multan, I would travel and sit on the ground from morning to night,” he recalls.As his sons progressed through age group cricket, Kashif came up with the idea of taking up photography as a way to stay close to them. He began freelancing and soon found work at a local newspaper. As Arafat and Sameer started making waves with their performances, Kashif also became a familiar face on cricket grounds across Pakistan, camera in hand.
Kashif Minhas takes pictures during the Pakistan Super League. (screengrab)
“It was an amazing moment for me,” says Kashif, recalling Arafat’s ODI debut against Australia in Rawalpindi.“I never imagined that the day would come when my children would represent Pakistan in international cricket and I would be photographing them on the ground. It felt like a blessing and I was very happy that day. He performed well in the last match (against England),” he adds.Kashif was never hard on his sons when it came to cricket. But he has one dream that he wants to fulfill through them: to win the ICC trophy.“I was never hard on them. When they didn’t perform well, I told them it wasn’t their day and their time would come. I encouraged them to stay ready for the next opportunity. I never wanted to put unnecessary pressure on them. But I will be even happier if my kids win an ICC trophy for their country,” he says.
Pakistan’s Arafat Minhas, who took six wickets, displays the ball at the end of the tri-series one-day international cricket match against England in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
The Minhas family has been able to put their name in the Guinness Book of World Records with their members representing Pakistan at various age group levels. However, the PCB rejected the over-50 team’s request to participate in the Masters International Cricket World Cup hosted by India in January next year. Minhas Sr was a member of this team. Pakistan had won the previous edition of the tournament held in Sri Lanka last year, but this time the management informed the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association that its team would not be allowed to travel to India to participate.“It would be great to represent Pakistan, but that’s okay. I’ll get an opportunity later,” he says.Cricket has come to a close for Kashif Minhas. He once had to give up his own ambitions at his father’s insistence, but ensured that his sons were free to pursue their own. Today, he watches them represent Pakistan, captures their highs and lows through his lens, while carrying the hopes of a father who knows what it means to give up on a dream. An ICC trophy would be the ultimate reward, but for Kashif, seeing his sons live a dream he once had to give up is a path worth cherishing.