The 38-year-old left-arm spinner breaks a 92-year-old record during the second Test against South Africa in Rawalpindi, as Pakistan ends day three with a narrow lead.
RAWALPINDI: In a remarkable sporting achievement, Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Asif Afridi made cricket history on Wednesday by becoming the oldest player ever to record a five-wicket haul on a Test match debut.
Achieving the feat at 38 years and 299 days during the second Test against South Africa at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Afridi broke a long-standing record that had endured for 92 years. The previous record was held by England’s Charles Marriott, who was 37 years and 332 days old when he took five wickets on his debut against the West Indies at The Oval in 1933.
This achievement places Afridi in an exclusive group of only four players over the age of 35 to have taken a five-wicket haul on their Test debut. The other two members are Hines Johnson of the West Indies (1948) and D.W. Carr of England (1909). Afridi now stands alone as the only cricketer to have accomplished this milestone after turning 38.
Within Pakistan’s cricketing history, Noman Ali previously took a five-wicket haul on debut at 34 against South Africa in 2021, while Bilal Asif achieved the feat at 33.
On the day Afridi entered the record books, Pakistan concluded day three of the second Test at 94/4 in 35 overs, holding a slender lead of 23 runs. The team will resume its innings on day four with Babar Azam unbeaten on 49 and Mohammad Rizwan on 16.
The spinner’s historic performance came after South Africa’s lower order, led by Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, and Kagiso Rabada, staged a strong recovery. From a precarious position of 235-8, the visitors fought back to post a total of 404, securing a first-innings lead of 71 runs.
