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Shaheen Afridi achieves another impressive ODI milestone

Shaheen Afridi takes 50 ODI wickets in only 24 matches

By Web Desk
April 08, 2021
Pakistan´s Shaheen Shah Afridi runs to deliver a ball during the third one-day international (ODI) cricket match between South Africa and Pakistan at SuperSport Park in Centurion on April 7, 2021. -AFP

Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi added another achievement to his illustrious career when he became the second-fastest Pakistani bowler to take 50 ODI wickets. 

It only took Afridi 25 matches to take 50 ODI wickets.  Right-arm pacer Hassan Ali is the fastest Pakistani bowler to achieve the feat, taking his 50 ODI wickets in only 24 matches. 

Former skipper Waqar Younis took 26 matches to get to 50 wickets while Saqlain Mushtaq had taken 28 matches to secure 50 ODI wickets. 

In the recently-concluded Pakistan-South Africa series, Afridi took six wickets and gave away 194 runs.

In the first match, he took two wickets and gave away 61 runs. In the second match, he conceded 75 runs and took just one wicket.

In the last match, Afridi took two wickets and conceded 58 runs.

Pakistan clinch ODI series against South Africa

Pakistan beat South Africa by 28 runs on Wednesday to clinch the Betway series 2-1, after the Proteas failed to reach the 321-run target.

South Africa had gone down but they put up a good fight — as losing five key members to the Indian Premier League (IPL) didn't work out well for the Proteas.

Aiden Markram and Janneman Malan opened the innings for the home side, while Shaheen Afridi and Hassan Ali shared the new ball for Pakistan.

After the pair had provided the Proteas with a half-century stand, Shaheen struck, producing an edge off of Markram's bat, with the ball safely finding its way into the gloves of Sarfaraz Ahmed.

JJ Smuts contributed 14 before getting bowled by Usman Qadir, with the score at 77-2.

A few overs later came the eventful 23rd over by Mohammad Nawaz. The left-arm spinner first trapped Malan (70) in front of the wickets before bowling out Bavuma (20) in the same over to reduce South Africa to 128-4.

Nawaz struck for a third time in the 28th over, trapping Heinrich Klaasen in front of the wickets with score at 140-5.

Then came a 108-run partnership between Kyle Verreynne and Andile Phehlukwayo that made things interesting and gave South Africa some hope.

But Haris Rauf removed Verreynne (62) in the 44th over as South Africa went six down with 248 on the board.

In the very next over, Phehlukwayo (54) vanished as well, exposing the Proteas tail.

Beuran Hendricks became Rauf's second victim of the day, nicking a wide down the leg side delivery back to Sarfaraz.

Keshav Maharaj's stroke-filled 19 was cut short by Shaheen, who bowled him out.

Shaheen hit the bulls eye again in the next over, taking his third wicket of the match.