Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi is on the verge of breaking Wasim Akram's record for the most wickets by a Pakistani bowler against South Africa in international cricket. As the first ODI of the three-match series begins today, Afridi needs just four more wickets to surpass Akram's 48 wickets in 31 innings. This could be a significant milestone for Afridi, who has been in impressive form in ODIs and will play a crucial role in Pakistan's attempt to recover from their T20I series loss to South Africa.
The South Africa National Cricket Team and Pakistan National Cricket Team face off in the first ODI match of the series, with South Africa winning the toss and choosing to bat first. With the Champions Trophy on the horizon, both teams will be using this series as a chance to test their combinations. South Africa will have to navigate their way through a tough match with many of their key bowlers out due to injuries, while Pakistan looks to bounce back from a crushing defeat in the T20I series.
On his birthday, Jasprit Bumrah made history by becoming the first Indian pacer to take 50 Test wickets in a year, joining the ranks of Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan. He achieved this feat in just 11 Tests, playing a crucial role in India's success in both the Test and T20 formats. With 65 wickets in 19 matches, Bumrah is also the leading wicket-taker across all formats this year.