Shaheen Afridi delivered a historic performance for Pakistan in the T20 International format, but his record-breaking effort was not enough to prevent defeat against England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight stage. The match, played in Kandy, Sri Lanka, saw Pakistan fall short by two wickets, ending their strong hopes of advancing to the semifinals.
The left-arm pacer produced an exceptional bowling spell, claiming 4 wickets for just 30 runs in his four overs. With this achievement, Shaheen Afridi became Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in T20I history. He has now taken 135 wickets in 102 matches, surpassing Haris Rauf’s previous record of 133 wickets in 94 games. His consistent performances have strengthened his position as one of Pakistan’s leading bowlers in the shortest format.
In the overall list of Pakistan’s top wicket-takers in T20Is, Shadab Khan ranks third with 114 wickets in 123 matches. Former captain Shahid Afridi stands fourth with 96 wickets in 98 matches, followed by Mohammad Nawaz with 91 wickets. Despite Shaheen Afridi’s early breakthrough, including an immediate impact in his first over, the rest of the bowling unit failed to maintain pressure, allowing England to recover.
Earlier, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first. However, the decision did not prove effective as key batters struggled. Sahibzada Farhan scored a team-high 63 runs with seven boundaries and two sixes, while Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman contributed 25 runs each. Shadab Khan added 23 runs to the total.
Chasing 165, England reached the target in the final over, led by captain Harry Brook’s brilliant century. In addition, Shadab Khan and Salman Mirza set a new record for Pakistan’s highest ninth-wicket partnership in T20 World Cup history, adding 15 runs and surpassing the previous record of 13 runs. Despite these efforts, the match ended in disappointment for Pakistan.
Read more: Shaheen Afridi Achieves New Milestone in ODI Cricket
