Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan’s ace speedster, made history as he became the first Pakistani bowler to take 100 wickets across all three formats of international cricket. During the first South Africa vs Pakistan T20I in Durban on December 10 (Tuesday), the 24-year-old left-arm seamer delivered a standout performance, taking three wickets—one in the powerplay, one in the middle overs and one at the death. This effort brought his T20I tally to 100 wickets.
With figures of 3/22 in the SA vs PAK T20I, Shaheen achieved his 100th T20I wicket, adding to his tally of 112 dismissals in ODIs and 116 in Tests. Remarkably, even Pakistan's legends like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis do not hold this record, as they played fewer T20Is during their careers.
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Shaheen also became the third Pakistani bowler to achieve 100 T20I wickets, joining Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan in this elite club. Also, Shaheen reached this milestone in his 74th T20I, making him the second-fastest Pakistani to achieve the feat, trailing only Haris Rauf, who accomplished it in 71 matches.
Simultaneously, Shaheen became the youngest bowler in history to reach 100 wickets across all formats, joining the esteemed ranks of New Zealand's Tim Southee, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga.
Youngest Bowlers To Take 100 Wickets Across Three Formats In International Cricket
| Player | Age (At 100 Wickets in All Formats) | Test Wickets | ODI Wickets | T20I Wickets |
| Shaheen Afridi | 24 years, 248 days | 100 | 116 | 122 |
| Tim Southee | 32 years, 319 days | 389 | 221 | 164 |
| Shakib Al Hasan | 34 years, 319 days | 246 | 317 | 149 |
| Lasith Malinga | 36 years, 9 days | 101 | 338 | 107 |
South Africa Clinch The Game Despite Shaheen's Brilliance
Coming to the SA vs PAK 1st T20I, the Proteas won the toss and opted to bat first. Shaheen Afridi set the tone for Pakistan by striking early, dismissing Rassie van der Dussen for a golden duck in the very first over. In his second spell, he returned to claim the crucial wicket of David Miller, who scored a stunning 82 off just 40 balls. Shaheen capped off his spell by trapping Nqabayomzi Peter lbw with his final delivery of the match.
However, despite Shaheen's record-breaking performance, Pakistan fell short in their pursuit of the 184-run target, falling 11 runs short. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan's fighting knock of 74 kept Pakistan in contention, but insufficient support from the other end ultimately cost the visitors the game as South Africa won the match by 11 runs.