Shahid Afridi's 37-Ball Century Has A Special Indian Connection

Published - 09 Dec 2017, 09:03 PM | Updated - 22 Aug 2024, 11:46 PM

BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 28: Pakistan batsman Shahid Afridi with his Natwest Man of the Match award after the Natwest Twenty20 International between England and Pakistan at County Ground on August 28, 2006 in Bristol, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

For 6,297 days Shahid Afridi held the record for the fastest century in One Day International cricket. He made his ODI debut on October 2^nd, 1996 at the age of 16 against Kenya in Nairobi but did not get an opportunity to bat. However, the second match against Sri Lanka on 4^th October turned out to be one of the most memorable innings in ODI cricket.

Aged 16, Afridi stepped into the cricket ground to bat, without a proper kit to wear and the playing kit to face the Sri Lankan bowlers. Hence he was provided with the boots and helmet of the legendary Pakistani spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. Afridi opened the innings for the Pakistani side, and little did anyone know that the kid from the tribal area of Khyber agency was there to rewrite history.

Afridi made lives of the Sri Lankan bowlers miserable in the match as he belted the then record 11 sixes in the innings and six boundaries to complete a 37 ball century, the then fastest in international limited overs cricket.

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The above mentioned record should be known to all fans, but the fact which not many would be aware is that the bat with which Afridi hammered the fastest century was of the Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

Afridi and Tendulkar — MOHALI, INDIA – MARCH 30: Sachin Tendulkar of India (L) and Shahid Afridi of Pakistan exchange words after Tendulkar was dropped by Younis Khan off Afridi’s bowling during the 2011 ICC World Cup second Semi-Final between Pakistan and India at Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium on March 30, 2011 in Mohali, India. (Photo by Graham Crouch/Getty Images)

Pakistan is known for its specialization in sports equipments and accordingly, Sachin had given his bat to Waqar Younis and had asked him to get him similar one from Sialkot. Afridi himself confirmed the news:

“I feel very honored for playing with Sachin’s bat in my first ODI match, Sachin had given the bat to Waqar Younis requesting him to get a similar one from Sialkot”

Afridi still has the historic bat with himself.

Afridi played 398 ODI’s in his 19-year long international career and scored 8,064 runs. He has six hundreds and 39 half-centuries to his name. Famously known as “Boom Boom Afridi” played his last ODI in 2015 against Australia in the quarter-final stage of the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

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