Shaheen Afridi Achieves Milestone as Fastest Pakistani Bowler to 150 ODI Wickets

Lahore, October 25 (Daily Kiran) : Shaheen Afridi, the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, reached a significant milestone on Sunday at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. He became the fastest Pakistani bowler to take 150 wickets in One Day Internationals (ODIs) during the second match of a tri-series against England.

At just 26 years old, Afridi achieved this feat in his 80th ODI, surpassing the previous record held jointly by Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, who both reached 150 wickets in their 91st matches. Before the match against England, Afridi needed only one wicket to reach this milestone. He dismissed the in-form opener Tom Banton in the first over, who had scored over 50 runs in his last four innings. Banton played a full-length delivery to cover, where Arafat took an easy catch.

With this wicket, Afridi became the second-fastest Pakistani bowler to achieve 150 wickets, trailing only the legendary off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who accomplished the feat in 78 matches. Overall, Afridi ranks as the fourth-fastest bowler globally to reach this milestone. Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane holds the record, achieving 150 wickets in just 73 ODIs, followed by Australia’s Mitchell Starc (77 matches) and Saqlain Mushtaq.

This match holds special significance for Pakistan, as players donned pink jerseys to raise awareness for breast cancer. The tri-series has moved from Rawalpindi to Lahore, where the host team has won both of its matches, defeating Sri Lanka and England. Pakistan is now focused on securing a spot in the finals.

In terms of team changes, Pakistan made two adjustments to their playing eleven. Shadab Khan returned, while Razaullah made his ODI debut. Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah were left out. During the warm-up, Naseem Shah dislocated his finger. England also made one change, giving Henry Crocombe his debut in place of Josh Tong.