"Was only one wicket away," Shaheen Afridi eyes 100th Test wicket

When Shaheen Shah Afridi opened the bowling for Pakistan on Tuesday in a two-day warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka Cricket Board XI at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, it was almost after a year that he had donned whites for his country after injuring his knee in the first of the two Tests at Galle last year.

The proceedings had a similar beginning – searing pace, lethal swing, and the ball hitting precise lengths. He took three wickets for 36 runs in 12 overs, three of which were maidens, as Pakistan bowled out the opposition for 196 before tea in the first innings. On the last day, he returned 4-2-2-1 as the hosts could only manage 88 for four after Pakistan, at the back of half-centuries by Shan Masood, Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel, put 342.

“I am very excited to be making my Test comeback in the country where I was injured,” Shaheen told PCB Digital in Hambantota. “Injuries are part of an athlete’s life, but it is good to be back. I enjoy red-ball cricket a lot, and I am one wicket away from a century of Test wickets, which would be a big achievement for me.”

The nature of injury demanded his return be gradual and systematic, and he had not played a first-class match since the fourth morning of the first Test at Galle when he landed awkwardly at the boundary trying to stop the ball. He made his international return in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October last year but twisted his knee in the final, which saw him miss the home series against England (Tests) and New Zealand (Tests and ODIs). He finally returned earlier this year for Lahore Qalandars to help them retain the HBL Pakistan Super League title before featuring in April’s 10-match limited-overs series against New Zealand.

Prior to being named in the Test side for these two Tests, which are Pakistan’s first in the third cycle of the ICC World Test Championship, Shaheen was turning out for Nottinghamshire, where he ensured he met the desired workload levels to get in the rhythm.

“It takes time to get used to red-ball cricket after playing white-ball,” he said, adding: “But the Karachi camp proved beneficial for me. Test cricket demands patience and you have to work in partnerships with fellow bowlers. Over the last year, I have played more white-ball matches, but when I was playing in the United Kingdom, I bowled extra overs after matches – even with the red ball – to meet the desired workload.

“It seems like yesterday when I was injured. I will be making my Test return at the same ground where I was injured. I was talking to our physiotherapist about it. It is a matter of pride to represent Pakistan in any format, and I enjoy playing for Pakistan. I hope we will have a good beginning to this cycle of the World Test Championship, and we will qualify for the final, something we have missed in the last two iterations.”

What makes this return more exciting is the milestone in line. He is just one wicket away from becoming the 11th pacer from Pakistan to record a century of wickets in the format. “There is a lot of excitement [for that 100th wicket].”

But it has been a long wait.

“I was only one wicket away, and the new ball was about to be available,” he said while recalling the first Test against Galle 12 months ago. “I was planning to utilize the new ball to reach that milestone, but I got injured before we got the new ball. So, I have had to wait a lot. It is very tough to be away from cricket, but time has helped me learn a lot, which will help me perform well for Pakistan across formats.”

His 99 wickets have come in just 25 matches at an average of 24.86. He also has four five-wicket hauls and one 10-for in the match. Shaheen, however, has added another dimension to his game by strengthening his batting during rehabilitation.

His smoking 44 not out off just 15 balls set up Lahore Qalandars’ thrilling win over Multan Sultans in the HBL PSL 8 final, and he let his slogging abilities known in the international arena when he smashed New Zealand’s Blair Tickner for 22 (three sixes and a four) in the last over of the fourth One-Day International in Karachi to lift Pakistan to 334.

“I am a bowler first,” he laughed. “But, whenever I will get a chance to make an impact with the bat for my country, I would do so.”