Pakistani fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has become the 19th Green Shirts player to take 100 Test wickets in total.
The fast bowler’s feat came during Pakistan’s match against Sri Lanka, when he dismissed Nishan Madushka in the second over of the first Test in Galle.
Test wicket No.1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for @iShaheenAfridi! 🤩
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 16, 2023
He removes Nishan Madushka in his second over of the day ☝️#SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/31kZNVAI7M
The fast bowler made his official return to Test cricket on Sunday, when he opened the bowling for the tourists on the first day of the first Test of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 that set up an action-packed 2023-24 ban. International cricket season started. for the home side.
It was almost a year after Shaheen donned the whites for his country after suffering a knee injury in the first two Tests in Galle last year.
“I am very excited to make my Test comeback in the country where I was injured,” Mahinda told PCB Digital in Hambantota on Thursday ahead of bowling in the two-day warm-up match against the hosts at the Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium. ” .
The nature of the injury called for his return to be gradual and orderly, and he had not played a first-class match since the fourth morning of the first Test at Galle when he landed awkwardly on the boundary trying to stop the ball.
He made his international return at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October last year but sprained his knee in the final, which ruled him out against England (Tests) and New Zealand (Tests and ODIs). Lost the home series.
He finally returned to Lahore Qalandars earlier this year to help them retain the Pakistan Super League title before featuring in the 10-match limited overs series against New Zealand in April.
Before being named in the Test squad for the two Tests, Pakistan’s first in the third round of the ICC World Test Championship, Shaheen was on his way to Nottinghamshire, where he Ensure they meet the required workload levels to get into the rhythm.
The fast bowler said there was a lot of excitement for the 100th wicket too, but the fast bowler had to wait a long time.
“I was just one wicket away and the new ball was going to be available,” he said, recalling the first Test against Gaul 12 months ago.
“I was planning to use a new ball to reach this milestone but I got injured before I got the new ball,” he added.
Shaheen’s 99 wickets have come in just 25 matches at an average of 24.86. He also has four five-wicket hauls and a 10-wicket haul in the match. However, Shaheen has added another dimension to his game by strengthening his batting during his recovery.
His unbeaten 44 off just 15 balls set up Lahore Qalandars’ sensational win over Multan Sultans in the final of PSL 8 and he made his slugging skills known on the international stage when he bowled New Zealand’s Blair Tickner. He played an innings of 22 (three sixes and one four). Pakistan reached 334 in the last over of the 4th ODI in Karachi.
“I’m a first bowler,” he laughed. “But, whenever I get a chance to make an impact with the bat for my country, I will.”
