Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga was the first-ever bowler to achieve the massive world record for claiming 100 wickets in all 3 formats of the games – Tests, ODIs and T20Is. After Malinga, ex-Bangladesh skipper Shakib al Hasan and former New Zealand captain Tim Southee were the only ones to achieve this feat.
But on Tuesday, one Pakistan pacer became just the 4th bowler to achieve this incredible at the age of just 24 years and 248 days. We are talking about Pakistan spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, who completed his 100 wickets in T20 cricket in just his 74th game and thus has 100-wicket haul in all three formats of the game.
Shaheen has now become the youngest player to achieve this incredible record with 116 Test wickets and 112 ODI scalps. Even India’s Jasprit Bumrah has not been able to achieve this. World No. 1 Test bowler Bumrah has 185 Test wickets, 149 in ODIs but has 89 wickets in T20s till date.
– 100* wickets in T20I.
– 112 wickets in ODI.
– 116 wickets in Tests.SHAHEEN SHAH AFRIDI BECOMES THE FIRST PAKISTAN BOWLER TO COMPLETE 100 WICKETS IN ALL-FORMATS. pic.twitter.com/TuB98Xdd64
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 10, 2024
The Pakistan seamer achieved this while claiming 3/22 in four overs against South Africa in the first T20I at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban on Tuesday. Shaheen dismissed Rassie van der Dussen in the first over of the game, then dismissed SA top-scorer David Miller for 82 off 40 balls and finally claimed the wicket of Nqabayomzi Peter for 3.
With his record-shattering spell, he also the became third Pakistani bowler to achieve 100 T20I wickets, behind Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan. He became the second-fastest to take 100 T20I wickets for Pakistan after fast bowler Haris Rauf, who achieved the feat in 71 T20I matches.
Coming to the match, Shaheen cleaned up Rassie van der Dussen for a golden duck with a pinpoint yorker. He came back to send in-form David Miller before he could bring up a well-deserved century.
In the last over, he trapped Nqabayomzi Peter in front of the stumps to claim his 100th T20I wicket and enter the exclusive club. Shaheen ended the first T20I with figures of 3/22 in his four-over spell.
Despite Shaheen’s heroics, Pakistan fell to a narrow 11-run defeat. While chasing a challenging total of 184, skipper Mohammad Rizwan found no support from the other end. His 74 drove Pakistan’s reply but it wasn’t enough to take the visitors past the finishing line.
