KEY POINTS
- Shaheen Afridi took 4/51 to lead Pakistan to a five-wicket win over West Indies in the first ODI
- He now holds the best ODI strike rate (25.4) among Full Member bowlers with 100+ wickets
- Afridi also became the fastest to 131 ODI wickets, breaking records held by Starc and Rashid Khan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s pace ace Shaheen Shah Afridi made history in the first ODI against West Indies, claiming 4 for 51 to not only lead his team to victory but also surpass India’s Mohammed Shami for the best strike rate in men’s ODI history among bowlers from Full Member nations.
Pakistan started their ODI series against the West Indies with a strong five-wicket win, thanks to a brilliant bowling performance by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Playing at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Afridi took 4 wickets for 51 runs and helped bowl out the West Indies for 280. With this performance, he also broke a big record in men’s ODI cricket.
After this match, Shaheen now has the best strike rate in ODIs among bowlers from Full Member countries who have taken at least 100 wickets.
His strike rate is 25.4, meaning he takes a wicket roughly every 25 balls. He passed India’s Mohammed Shami, who has a strike rate of 25.8. The next best are
Australia’s Mitchell Starc (26.4), Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis (26.6), and Wanindu Hasaranga (27.3). Including all nations, only Oman’s Bilal Khan has a better strike rate (24.8), but among major teams, Shaheen now leads.
Shaheen also made history by becoming the fastest to reach 131 wickets in just 65 ODIs, breaking the previous record of 129 wickets held by both Mitchell Starc and Rashid Khan at the same stage.
If he plays the next ODI, he will break the 66-match record too, and needs just 3 more wickets to break the 67-match mark.
With this win, Pakistan lead the three-match series 1-0.
