Shaheen Shah Afridi becomes pacer with most Test wickets in 2021

• Shaheen takes an 18-wicket haul during the West Indies Test series.
• The pacer has also attained a career-best ICC Test ranking.
• Shaheen has entered the record books after marvels in Jamaica.

Shaheen Shah Afridi has become the fast bowler with the most wickets in the Test format in 2021 so far — after his 18-wicket haul during the Test series against West Indies in Jamaica.

The fast bowler is followed by Pakistan's Hasan Ali (32), England's James Anderson (29), West Indies' Kemar Roach (27), and South Africa's Anrich Nortje (25).

Shaheen Afridi has also attained a career-best ICC Test ranking after his strong performance in the recently concluded series against West Indies.

Shaheen helped trigger the West Indies' batting collapse in both innings during the second Test match, grabbing 10 wickets in the process.

The left-arm pacer has managed to gain 10 slots to reach no 8 on the MRF ICC Test bowler's rankings. Before the Test began, Shaheen was on number 18 in the bowler's rankings.

Moreover, he is the first Pakistani fast bowler since May 2000 to claim a 10-wicket match figure in West Indies. The last Pakistani fast bowler to do so was Wasim Akram when he took 11/110 at St. John’s.

At the age of 21 years and 136 days, Shaheen is also the third-youngest Pakistani fast bowler to take a 10-wicket match figure after Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Muhammad Zahid.

The 21-year-old left-arm fast bowler took 18 wickets in the two-match series which is the most by a Pakistani fast bowler in a series comprising two Tests. Previously, Mohammad Abbas vs Australia in 2018 and Mohammad Asif vs Sri Lanka in 2006 had 17 wickets apiece in the series.

Pakistan’s spinner Saqlain Mushtaq took 20 wickets against India in 1999 while Mushtaq Ahmed took 18 wickets in a two-match series twice. This makes Shaheen Shah Afridi tie with Mushtaq in second place for Pakistani bowlers (of any style) to take the most numbers of wickets in a two-match series.