Shaheen Afridi amasses major landmark amid T20 World Cup 2026
COLOMBO: Pakistan’s ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi on Tuesday added another feather to his cap as he is set to feature in his 100th T20I during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against United States of America (USA) here at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground.
Shaheen, who made his T20I debut in 2018 against West Indies, became just the seventh Pakistani to feature in at least a hundred T20Is, joining the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik.
Babar has the most T20I appearances for Pakistan, featuring in 141 matches, 18 more than second-placed Malik.
Most matches for Pakistan in T20Is
Babar Azam – 141* matches
Shoaib Malik – 123 matches
Mohammad Hafeez – 119 matches
Shadab Khan – 119* matches
Fakhar Zaman – 117* matches
Mohammad Rizwan – 106 matches
Shaheen Shah Afridi – 100* matches
Ahead of the aforementioned fixture, Fakhar was warmly congratulated by his teammates. In a picture released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), fast bowler Naseem Shah was seen presenting him with the commemorative cap ahead of his landmark appearance for the country in the shortest format.
“Shaheen Shah Afridi receives cap from fellow pacer Naseem Shah on completing [100] T20I appearances,” PCB captioned the picture.
In his 99 completed T20Is, Shaheen has picked up 129 wickets at a remarkable average of 21.34 with the help of two four-wicket hauls. The 25-year-old also has 307 runs to his name in the shortest format, which came at a modest average of 13.95.
For the unversed, Pakistan were put into bat first by USA captain Monank Patel in the crucial Group A fixture of the T20 World Cup 2026, and when this story was filed, the 2009 champions had amassed 38/0 in four overs. Web Desk
