Shaheen Shah Afridi added another line to his growing record book on Friday, becoming the first Pakistani bowler to take 100 wickets in ICC World Test Championship history during the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka. The milestone came when he dismissed Bangladesh opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, putting him among a relatively small group of bowlers to reach three figures in the competition.
It was a genuine bright spot for Pakistan on a day that otherwise drifted Bangladesh’s way. By stumps on May 8, 2026, the hosts had moved to 301 for 4 in 85 overs, with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto making a fluent century and Mushfiqur Rahim unbeaten at the close. Pakistan had chosen to bowl first, but after early wickets, Bangladesh settled and built the sort of partnerships that can make a Test side feel like it spent the whole day chasing the game.
For Afridi, though, the landmark carries real weight. The World Test Championship only began in August 2019, and no Pakistani bowler had previously reached 100 wickets in the tournament. According to current reporting, Afridi also became only the 19th bowler overall to the mark, underlining just how rare the feat still is.
The bigger picture is pretty clear now: at 26, Afridi has become Pakistan’s most dependable red-ball strike option of this era. Gulf News reported that he remains Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in WTC history, and that his broader Test return stands at 121 wickets in 33 matches, with best figures of 6 for 51. Those numbers don’t just suggest promise anymore. They suggest ownership — of a role, of an attack, maybe even of a generation.
There’s some timing to this as well. Afridi came into the Test after a solid 2026 Pakistan Super League campaign with Lahore Qalandars, where he took 16 wickets in 10 matches. T20 form doesn’t automatically spill into a five-day game, of course, but rhythm matters for fast bowlers, and Pakistan will hope this milestone is a sign that Afridi is settling into another strong stretch in whites too.
Still, records tend to feel better when they help shape a result, and Pakistan will know that. Bangladesh’s first-day total left the visitors with work to do, and the match situation may end up mattering more than the headline. Even so, Friday gave Pakistan something tangible to hold onto: in a difficult session, then a difficult day, Shaheen Afridi produced a piece of history that no Pakistani bowler had managed before.
