Pakistan star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi managed the feat of achieved a total of 100 Test wickets on Sunday, becoming the 19th green shirt player to record a century of wickets in red ball cricket.

Shaheen Shah Afridi is the 19th bowler and 11th pacer from Pakistan to record 100 wickets in Test cricket. He did the feat in his second over of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, dismissing opener Nishan Madushka.

The 23-year-old officially made his comeback to Test cricket after opening bowling to tourists on the first day of the first Test. He plays for Pakistan in Tests after suffering a knee injury in the first of two Tests against Sri Lanka in Galle last year, caused by an awkward landing on the edge of the field while trying to stop the ball.

It has been almost a year since Shaheen donned the whites for his country after injuring his knee in the first of the two Tests at Galle last year.

"I'm really looking forward to my Test comeback in the country where I was injured," the seaman told PCB Digital in Hambantota on Thursday, before bowling in the two-day warm-up match against the hosts at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.

Due to the nature of the injury, his return had to be gradual and systematic, and he hadn't played a first-class game since the fourth morning of the first Test in Galle, when he landed awkwardly on the border and tried to stop the ball.

The Pacer made his international comeback for the men's T20 World Cup in Australia last October, but twisted his previously injured right knee in the final, which saw him miss the home series against England (Tests) and New Zealand (Tests and ODIs).

Ahead of the first test against Sri Lanka, Shaheen expressed his excitement at reaching the milestone.
"There's a lot of excitement [for that 100th wicket]," said Shaheen.

Afridi recalled the first test in Galle 12 months ago and mentioned his plan to use the new ball to reach that milestone. However, an injury forced him to wait longer.

“I was one wicket away and the new ball was about to be available. I was planning to use the new ball to reach that milestone, but I injured myself before we got the new ball. So I had to wait a long time. It's very tough not being in cricket but the time has helped me learn a lot which will help me to perform well in all formats for Pakistan," he added.

Shaheen is one of the most exciting young bowlers in the world and is sure to add many more wickets to his tally in the years to come.