The Men in Green secured a victory over New Zealand in their last game, drawing the five-match Twenty20 International series to a close with a 2-2 tie. The standout performer for the hosts was Shaheen Shah Afridi, who achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first bowler to claim 50 wickets in his maiden over in T20I cricket.
In the series, Pakistan claimed victories in the second and fifth T20Is, while New Zealand took the third and fourth matches. Afridi, aged 24, was particularly formidable in the final match, taking four wickets.
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For the Kiwis, Tim Seifert contributed a solid 52 runs off 33 balls. However, Pakistan’s Usama Mir, with figures of 2/21, played a crucial role in holding the Black Caps to a nine-run defeat.
Pakistan set a formidable target by batting first, posting 178/5. Babar Azam led the scoring with a brisk 69 off 44 balls, followed by Fakhar Zaman who added 43 off 33 balls. Shadab Khan’s quickfire 15 from just five balls helped boost Pakistan’s total past 170.
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Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Fast Bowling Achievements
Shaheen Afridi is celebrated for his rapid seam bowling. In T20Is, he has appeared in 61 matches, claiming 81 wickets at an average of 21.09, with his best bowling figures being 4 for 22.
In Tests, Afridi has participated in 29 matches, taking 113 wickets at an average of 26.72, and his best performance is 6 for 51. In ODIs, through 53 matches, he has secured 104 wickets at an average of 23.94, with best figures of 6 for 35.
Currently, Afridi holds the 9th position in the ICC Test bowling rankings, 7th in the ICC ODI rankings, and 17th in the ICC T20 bowling rankings, with scores of 733, 650, and 615 points, respectively.
