In a heartwarming moment, Shaheen Shah Afridi, the Pakistani cricketer, received a gift from his teammate Mohammad Rizwan after taking his 100th Test wicket in the 1st Test match against Sri Lanka. Rizwan praised Afridi for being an inspiration to the team, especially for the bowlers and younger players. He mentioned that players like Babar Azam and Afridi become sources of inspiration for the entire team.
Afridi achieved this milestone by dismissing Sri Lankan opener Nishan Madushka, becoming the 19th Pakistani player and the fourth-fastest fast bowler from Pakistan to reach 100 Test wickets. Despite rain interruptions limiting the game to 65.4 overs, Afridi managed to take three wickets as Sri Lanka ended the day with a score of 242/6.
During Sri Lanka’s innings, vice-captain Dhananjaya de Silva played a crucial role by scoring a resilient 94 runs and building important partnerships to help his team recover. De Silva unexpectedly had to bat earlier than planned due to excellent bowling spells by Afridi and Naseem Shah with the new ball. De Silva formed a 131-run partnership with Angelo Mathews for the fifth wicket. Mathews initially struggled against the pace bowlers but found his rhythm against spin and went on to score his 39th Test half-century. However, he was eventually dismissed for 64 after nicking a delivery from leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed to the wicketkeeper.
Overall, the match witnessed Afridi’s remarkable achievement and showcased the fighting spirit of the Sri Lankan team through the performances of Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews.
