Pak vs SL: Shaheen Afridi completes 100 wickets in Test cricket

Pakistan’s pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed his 100th Test wicket on his return from injury in the first match against Sri Lanka in Galle on Sunday.

Afridi, a left-arm quick, struck in his second over to send back Nishan Madushka caught behind for four after Sri Lanka elected to bat first at the start of the two-match series.

The pace spearhead had moved to 99 wickets in 25 Tests at the same venue last year when a knee injury put him out of action.

1️⃣st Test wicket: Tom Latham lbw in Abu Dhabi, 2018
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th Test wicket: Nishan Madushka c Sarfaraz Ahmed in Galle, 2023

Congratulations @iShaheenAfridi on completing a 💯 of wickets 👏#SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/w2dlfmgnkv

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 16, 2023

Shaheen, 23, has taken 134 wickets in white-ball matches since his international debut in 2018 and emerged as a star bowler for the Babar Azam-led team.

Earlier, Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in the first of the two Tests in Galle on Sunday.

The series marks the start of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 participation for the two teams.

Squads:

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam (capt), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Noman Ali, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha.

With additional input from AFP.