Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi became only the 11th Pakistani and 19th bowler overall to complete 100 Test wickets in the ongoing 1st Test against Sri Lanka being played at Galle on July 16, 2023.
This was Shaheen Afridi’s first Test match after a year, as he had hurt his knee on the same ground in 2022 and had to miss a considerable amount of time in recovery.
The PCB declared that he would travel to Rotterdam with the national team while he recovered, receiving rehab while he was there, presumably because getting on and out of airplanes and buses was the best method to heal the injury after he was ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
He then missed the Asia Cup 2022 due to the same injury but traveled with the team. Finally, his father-in-law Shahid Afridi arranged for a consultation with a doctor in London and Shaheen spent out of his pocket to travel to London for surgery and rehab.
After a considerable time out of action, Shaheen Afridi returned to PSL 2023 and captained his side to their second PSL title as well.
This bodes well for the pacer and the Pakistan team that he was back fully fit. Ahead of Pakistan’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, he is casually breaking records in the T20 Blast in England, becoming the first bowler to take four wickets in the first over.
Shaheen Afridi Picks 100th Test Wicket In First Test Against Sri Lanka In Galle
He hadn’t played a Test since that stumble in Galle, and in a year that’s taught him patience above all else, it’s perhaps appropriate he’s been left stranded on 99 Test wickets.
But that wait ended on July 16, 2023, when on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Shaheen Afridi dismissed Nishan Madushka in his second over to achieve a great milestone in Tests, becoming the 11th Pakistani and 19th bowler overall to take 100 Test wickets.
Certainties in life:
– Death
– Taxes
– Shaheen Afridi striking in his first spell#SLvPAKpic.twitter.com/pbr0Rhws9n— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) July 16, 2023
Afridi, 23, has taken 134 wickets in white-ball matches since his international debut in 2018 and emerged as a star bowler for the Babar Azam-led team.
The two-match series marks the start of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 participation for the two teams.