LAHORE: Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi became the country’s fastest fast bowler to take 150 wickets in One-Day Internationals when he dismissed England opener Tom Banton in the first over of their tri-series match at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
Shaheen reached the milestone in his 80th ODI, surpassing the previous record jointly held by Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, who each took 91 matches to claim 150 wickets.
Banton, who had scored four consecutive half-centuries in his previous four innings, chipped a full-length delivery towards cover, where Arafat Minhas took a straightforward catch. The England opener scored four off five balls.
Shaheen is the second-fastest Pakistan bowler overall to reach 150 ODI wickets, behind former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who achieved the feat in 78 matches.
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Globally, Shaheen is joint-fourth fastest to the milestone, level with India’s Mohammed Shami and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan. Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane holds the record with 73 matches, followed by Australia’s Mitchell Starc and Saqlain, who reached the landmark in 77 and 78 matches, respectively.
Shaheen later dismissed Joe Root, putting England under early pressure. Pakistan elected to bowl after winning the toss.
The Pakistani players wore pink jerseys for the match as part of a breast cancer awareness initiative.
