Young all-rounder becomes the first Pakistani player to take 100 wickets in T20 internationals

Taking 100 wickets in T20 internationals is no joke. The shortest format of the game does not allow the bowlers to settle down and taking wickets becomes rather difficult. Only a handful of bowlers have been able to achieve the feat of picking up 100 wickets in T20 internationals, with a Pakistani bowler making a fresh entry last night. 

First Pakistani to pick 100 wickets

In a thrilling match between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistan’s stand-in captain Shadab Khan reached a significant milestone in his cricketing career by taking his 100th Twenty20 International wicket. Shadab Khan, who is only 24 years old, achieved this feat in his 87th T20I (83rd innings), becoming the first Pakistani bowler to reach the 100-wicket mark in the format. 

Shadab started the match with 98 T20I wickets to his name, an equal number to legendary Shahid Afridi’s record of 98 wickets for Pakistan. In the 10th over of the match, Shadab dismissed Afghanistan’s batter Ibrahim Zadran to take his tally to 99 wickets, surpassing Afridi’s record. 

In the 12th over of the match, Shadab returned to the bowling crease to complete his milestone of 100 T20I wickets. He tricked Usman Ghani and got him caught on the boundary ropes. 

Shadab was not done yet as he continued to trouble the Afghan batsmen with his accurate spin bowling. In the same over, he trapped Mujeeb Ur Rahman lbw to take his tally to 101 wickets. With these three wickets, Shadab played a crucial role in restricting Afghanistan to a modest total of 116 runs, thereby manifesting Pakistan’s win by 66 runs. With this feat last night, Shadab has become the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in T20 internationals. 

Pakistan win the match, Afghanistan win the series

Pakistan managed to avoid a series whitewash against Afghanistan in the third and final T20I played in Sharjah. Despite losing the first two matches of the series, Pakistan put up a solid performance to secure a convincing victory in the final match and clinch the series 2-1.

Overall, the series was closely contested, with Afghanistan dominating the first two matches, but Pakistan bounced back strongly in the final match. The series was a great exhibition of T20 cricket, with both teams showcasing their skills and providing fans with some thrilling moments.

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