Shaheen Shah Afridi on Sunday claimed his 100th Test wicket on his return from injury in the first match against Sri Lanka in Galle, which was halted shortly due to rain.
Afridi, a left-arm quick, struck in his second over to send back Nishan Madushka caught behind for four after Sri Lanka elected to bat first at the start of the two-match series.
The pace spearhead had moved to 99 wickets in 25 Tests at the same venue last year when a knee injury put him out of action.
In a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board today, Afridi recalled the match when he took his 99th wicket, hoping to clinch his 100th soon but lamented that he got injured before he could do so.
“So, I have waited for too long,” he said, adding that it was “too difficult to be away from cricket”.
Former men’s captain Wasim Akram congratulated Afridi on the achievement and termed it “one of the many milestones to come”.
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.
Meanwhile, rain halted play shortly after Sri Lanka reached 18-1 in the opening Test.
The two-match series marks the start of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 participation for the two teams.
Source - AFP
-Agencies
