Star bowler needs one more wicket to reach the milestone of 100 Test cricket wickets and become the 11th Pakistani bowler to do it.
In the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota, Pakistani bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi is playing red ball cricket once again.
The great seamer is one wicket away from being the 11th Pakistani pacer to accumulate a century of wickets in Test cricket, which heightens the excitement around his homecoming.
Shaheen had not donned whites for Pakistan since suffering a knee injury in the first of the two Tests at Galle last year when he began the bowling for Pakistan on Tuesday in a two-day warm-up match against the hosts.
Similar to previous events, the proceedings got off to a fast start with deadly swings and accurate distances from the ball. Before tea, Pakistan bowled out the opposition for 196 after picking up three wickets for 36 runs in 12 overs, three of which were maidens.
He scored 4-2-2-1 on the last day as the hosts could only muster 88 for four after Pakistan put 342 in thanks to half-centuries from Shan Masood, Babar Azam, and Saud Shakeel.
In Hambantota, Shaheen told PCB Digital, "I am really happy to be making my Test return in the country where I was wounded.
"While injuries are a fact of life for athletes, it is fantastic to be back. I really like playing red-ball cricket, and I'm only one wicket short of a century in Test matches, which would be a major accomplishment for me."
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