Shaheen Afridi scripts history with four wickets in first over
Pakistan's pace sensation Shaheen Afridi has scripted yet another record as on Friday (June 30), he became the first bowler to take four wickets in the opening over of a T20 game. He accomplished the milestone against Warwickshire while playing for Nottinghamshire in the ongoing T20 Blast. The left-arm speed merchant returned with 4/29 in his quota of four overs. Here are further details.
Shaheen at his lethal best
Chasing 169, Warwickshire were jolted by Shaheen's brilliance in the opening over. He dismissed the opposition's skipper Alex Davies and Chris Benjamin on the first two legitimate balls of the innings. The last two balls of the innings saw him get the better of Dan Mousley (1) and Ed Barnard (0). His efforts, however, went in vain as Nottinghamshire lost by two wickets.
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Shaheen's record with the new ball
As per ESPNcricinfo, this was the fourth occasion Shaheen returned with multiple wickets in the first over of a T20 innings. He had previously taken two wickets in the first over thrice. Overall, Afridi has returned with 36 wickets in the opening over in 112 T20 innings. Only Bhuvneshwar Kumar (45), Mohammad Amir (40), and Sohail Tanvir (39) own more first-over wickets.
Shaheen's sensational run in T20 Blast 2023
With 20 wickets in 13 games at an economy of 8.55, Afridi is Nottinghamshire's leading wicket-taker in the ongoing T20 Blast. Overall, he has played 20 games in the competition and returned with 27 wickets at an economy of 8.39. The tally includes a six-wicket haul as well. The southpaw has also made some handy batting contributions lower down the order.
A look at his overall T20 numbers
As far as his overall numbers in T20 cricket are concerned, Afridi has raced to 221 wickets in 156 games at an economy of 7.84. The tally includes five four-fers and as many five-wicket hauls with his best figures reading 6/19. 64 of his wickets have come in 52 T20Is at an economy of 7.63. Afridi also owns a half-century in T20 cricket.
