Pakistan's next big stars? Mohammad Yousuf names eight youngsters but raises one concern

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf believes an exciting generation of young cricketers is emerging in the country, but has questioned how quickly Pakistan's new cricket setup can turn its vision into reality.

His comments came as Pakistan celebrated an impressive 87 run victory over England and climbed above Australia to fourth place in the ICC Men's ODI rankings.

Taking to X, Yousuf highlighted eight promising youngsters, identifying Hassan Nawaz, Irfan Minhas and Saad Baig as players already making an impression.

He also backed Samir Minhas, Razaullah, Maaz Sadaqat, Akif Javed and Ali Raza as potential future stars.

"A talented generation is coming through the ranks. The real question is how long will it take for the new setup to fully implement its vision?" Yousuf wrote.

Youngsters making their mark

Yousuf's comments came just hours after Pakistan defeated England in Rawalpindi, with young all rounder Arafat Minhas producing a remarkable performance.

As we reported in our earlier story on Arafat Minhas' masterclass, the 21 year old scored 59 from 58 balls before claiming career best figures of 6 for 40 as Pakistan bowled England out for 215 while defending 302 for nine.

Hasan Nawaz also impressed with 79, while Saad Baig contributed 35 in a victory that highlighted the growing influence of Pakistan's youngsters.

Minhas' bowling figures were also the second best by a Pakistan bowler in an ODI on home soil, behind Shoaib Akhtar's 6 for 16 against New Zealand in 2002.

Pakistan move above Australia

The victory, Pakistan's second consecutive win in the ongoing tri-series, helped them climb to fourth in the latest ICC ODI rankings with 103 rating points.

They are now just one point behind third placed South Africa, while Australia have dropped to fifth with 102 points. India lead the rankings with 115 points, followed by New Zealand on 109.

For Pakistan, the results and the emergence of promising young talent are encouraging signs.

But as Yousuf pointed out, identifying talent is only the beginning. The bigger challenge is ensuring the new setup has a clear vision and can turn this exciting generation into a team capable of delivering consistently at the highest level.