Pakistan’s ace fast-bowler Shaheen Afridi joined elite company after completing 100 wickets in Test cricket on Sunday in Galle.
The lanky pacer achieved the feat after dismissing Sri Lankan opener Nishan Madushka (4) in the third over of the innings.
After the latest milestone, Afridi has joined legendary pacers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as the only Pakistani fast-bowlers to pick up 100-plus Test wickets at the age of 23.
Afridi donned the whites for Pakistan after almost a year since he was on the sidelines due to a knee injury.
The left-armer is the 19th Pakistan cricketer to bag 100 wickets in the longest format of the game.
Earlier, Shaheen was excited about making a comeback in the Test side after a long injury lay-off.
“I am very excited to be making my Test comeback in the country where I was injured. Injuries are part of an athlete’s life, but it is good to be back. I enjoy red-ball cricket a lot and I am one wicket away from a century of Test wickets, which would be a big achievement for me,” Shaheen told PCB Digital on Thursday.
“It takes time to get used to red-ball cricket after playing white-ball. But the Karachi camp proved beneficial for me. Test cricket demands patience and you have to work in partnerships with fellow bowlers. Over the last year, I have played more white-ball matches, but when I was playing in the United Kingdom, I bowled extra overs after matches – even with the red ball – to meet the desired workload.
“It seems like yesterday when I was injured. I will be making my Test return at the same ground where I was injured. I was talking to our physiotherapist about it. It is a matter of pride to represent Pakistan in any format and I enjoy playing for Pakistan. I hope we will have a good beginning to this cycle of the World Test Championship and we will qualify for the final, something we have missed on in the last two iterations.”
- Shaheen Afridi