A great comeback in ODIs: Shaheen Afridi sets world record

A great comeback in ODIs: Shaheen Afridi sets world record

Online Desk, Morenewsbd
Online Desk, Morenewsbd

Published: 05:39 10 August 2025

After a long break of four months, Pakistan's star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi set a world record after returning to ODI cricket. In the first ODI of the three-match series against the West Indies on Friday (August 8), he brought the team victory with his extraordinary bowling. He took 4 wickets for 51 runs in 8 overs, as a result of which Pakistan won by 5 wickets.

Through this match, Shaheen surpassed Indian pacer Mohammed Shami to become the owner of the best bowling strike rate among bowlers who have taken at least 100 wickets among Test-playing nations. Currently, Shaheen's strike rate is 25.45, while Shami's strike rate is 25.85.

Shaheen has 131 wickets in 65 ODIs so far. Previously, the record for the highest wickets in 65 matches in this format was 129, which was held by Australia's Mitchell Starc and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan. Shaheen has now broken that record and set a new milestone.

Top 5 bowlers in the list:
1. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan) – 131 wickets in 65 matches, strike rate 25.45
2. Mohammed Shami (India) – 208 wickets in 108 matches, strike rate 25.85
3. Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 244 wickets in 127 matches, strike rate 26.68
4. Ajantha Maddis (Sri Lanka) – 152 wickets in 87 matches, strike rate 27.32
5. Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) – 108 wickets in 66 matches, strike rate 28.37

This young Pakistani pacer has not only set a record, but has also proven that even after a long break, his edge has not diminished even a single point.

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