Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi reached a major milestone on Sunday, becoming the fastest Pakistani pacer and the second-fastest Pakistani bowler overall to take 150 wickets in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
The 26-year-old achieved the feat during the second match of the ODI tri-series against England at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, surpassing the previous record jointly held by Pakistan greats Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar.
Afridi reached the landmark in his 80th ODI, 11 matches quicker than Younis and Akhtar, who each took 91 matches to claim their first 150 wickets.
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He needed just one wicket before the match and reached the mark in the opening over by dismissing England opener Tom Banton. Banton, who had scored more than 50 runs in each of his previous four innings, edged a full-length delivery towards cover, where Arafat took a straightforward catch.
Afridi’s achievement puts him second among Pakistan bowlers to reach 150 ODI wickets fastest. Former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq remains ahead, having reached the milestone in 78 matches.
Among the world’s fastest
Afridi is also joint-fourth on the list of the fastest bowlers worldwide to take 150 ODI wickets. Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane leads the rankings, having reached the mark in 73 matches, followed by Australia’s Mitchell Starc with 77. Mushtaq is third.
Afridi shares fourth place with Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and India’s Mohammed Shami, who also reached 150 wickets in 80 ODIs.
The pacer continued to trouble England after reaching the milestone, taking three more wickets in the match.