Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi, popularly known as "Boom Boom Afridi", is one of Pakistan's most iconic cricketers and a former captain. Born on 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency, he announced himself to the world as a 16-year-old when he smashed the fastest ODI century in history — off just 37 balls — on debut against Sri Lanka in 1996, a record that stood for 18 years.

Career

Afridi played 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring over 8,000 ODI runs and taking nearly 400 international wickets with his leg-spin. He was the first bowler to take 100 wickets in T20Is and remains among the top wicket-takers in the format. His explosive batting and match-winning bowling made him the face of Pakistani cricket for two decades.

He captained Pakistan to the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup title in England — the team's first global trophy since the 1992 World Cup — and led the side again at the 2011 World Cup. He was also Pakistan's T20 captain during the memorable 2016 World T20 in India.

Philanthropy

Off the field, Afridi founded the Shahid Afridi Foundation, which has built schools, hospitals and water projects across Pakistan and provided disaster relief. He was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2024 for his services to cricket and philanthropy. He remains a hugely popular figure, known for his charity work and his enduring bond with fans in Pakistan and beyond.