Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi carved his name into the record books with a stellar performance in the first ODI against West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, helping his side to a five-wicket win and taking a historic leap in ODI cricket history.
Opting to bowl first, Pakistan capitalised on early movement and tight bowling from Shaheen and Naseem Shah, who returned figures of 3 for 55. Despite fifties from Evin Lewis (60), Shai Hope (55), and Roston Chase (53), West Indies were restricted to 280 all out.
Shaheen Afridi Sets New ODI Records with 4-Wicket Haul
Shaheen, with figures of 4 for 51, not only led the bowling charge but also became the highest wicket-taker after 65 ODIs, reaching 131 wickets—surpassing the previous best of 128 wickets held jointly by Rashid Khan and Mitchell Starc. The left-arm pacer also now holds the best strike rate in men’s ODIs (25.4) among bowlers from Full Member nations with at least 100 wickets, moving past Mohammed Shami’s 25.8, according to Wisden.
In response, Pakistan chased down the 281-run target with 284/5 in 48.5 overs, thanks to an unbeaten knock of 63 off 54 balls by Hasan Nawaz, who struck a crucial six and sealed the win with a boundary in the penultimate over. Nawaz shared an unbeaten 104-run partnership with Hussain Talat (41 off 37) after Pakistan found themselves in a precarious position at 180/5.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan added a steady 53 runs, while Babar Azam contributed 47, laying the foundation for the middle-order recovery. “At the start, the spinners were great, but once the dew came in it got easier,” said Nawaz, who was named Player of the Match.
Shai Hope Admits Middle-Overs Struggle After Narrow Loss
Reflecting on the game, West Indies captain Shai Hope noted, “It was tough to play in conditions like this, and the toss had a big part. Maybe we could’ve got more runs. Credit to our bowlers for fighting at the end. We needed to score more in the middle overs. But all in all, we’re still one step behind.”
The win gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, following their 2-1 T20I series victory over the hosts in Florida. With Shaheen averaging more than two wickets per game, his consistency continues to elevate Pakistan’s bowling strength in white-ball cricket.
The second and third ODIs will also be held at the Brian Lara Stadium, scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday, respectively, as both teams look to fine-tune their preparations ahead of upcoming international commitments.
