On Tuesday, December 10, Shaheen Shah Afridi made history by becoming the first Pakistani bowler to take 100 wickets in all three international formats—Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. Afridi's achievement came during the first T20I against South Africa, where he delivered a stunning spell, taking 3 wickets for 22 runs in his four overs. This performance helped him reach the 100-wicket milestone in T20Is, having already surpassed 100 wickets in both Tests and ODIs.

Afridi joins an elite club of bowlers worldwide who have achieved this remarkable feat. Before him, only Tim Southee (New Zealand), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), and Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) had reached the milestone of 100 wickets in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

Heading into the match, Shaheen had 97 T20I wickets. His first breakthrough came during the powerplay, followed by two more wickets in the middle and death overs. By the end of his spell, he had successfully claimed his 100th T20I wicket, making him the first Pakistani to accomplish this in all formats.

At just 24 years old, Afridi has cemented his legacy as one of Pakistan’s finest pacers. His current wicket tally stands at 116 in Tests, 112 in ODIs, and now 100 in T20Is.

Despite Afridi’s heroics, Pakistan fell short in their chase of 184 runs, losing the match by 11 runs. South Africa, led by a blistering 82 off 40 balls from David Miller and a quick 48 from George Linde, set a competitive target of 183-9 in 20 overs. Shaheen and Abrar Ahmed took three wickets each for Pakistan, but the effort wasn’t enough to restrict the hosts.

Pakistan’s captain, Mohammad Rizwan, tried to anchor the chase with a valiant 74, but lacked support from the other end. Ultimately, Pakistan finished at 172-8, falling just short of the target.