But the boom boom Afridi, as he is widely known, had something magical to deliver in just his second outing and first international innings in the cricketing arena.
Just two days later on October 4, teenager Afridi had set the world on fire by slamming the fastest ODI hundred in just 37 balls against Sri Lanka, a record which is still looking for a conqueror.
Afridi also became the youngest player to score an ODI century with his record-breaking performance.
Afridi hammered 11 sixes and six fours during his historical knock to guide Pakistan to a comprehensive 82-run victory over Asian rivals Sri Lanka.
Shahid Afridi gave Sri Lankans the taste of their own medicine after legendary Sanath Jayasuriya notched up 48-ball ton against Pakistan in the same year to score the fastest hundred record.
Despite a dream ODI debut, Afridi has been in and out of the team due to various on and off the field reasons.
Runs | Balls | 6s | 4s | Player | Opponent | Venue | Year |
102 | 37 | 11 | 6 | Shahid Afridi | Nairobi | 04/10/1996 | |
147* | 44 | 10 | 8 | Mark Boucher | Zimbabwe | Potchefstroom | 20/09/2006 |
117 | 45 | 4 | 18 | Brain Lara | Bangladesh | Dhaka | 09/10/1999 |
102 | 45 | 9 | 10 | Shahid Afridi | India | Kanpur | 15/04/2005 |
134 | 48 | 11 | 11 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Pakistan | Singapore | 02/04/1996 |
113 | 50 | 6 | 13 | Kevin O'Brien | England | Bangalore | 02/03/2011 |
124 | 53 | 4 | 17 | Shahid Afridi | Bangladesh | Dambulla | 21/06/2010 |
130 | 55 | 6 | 16 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Bangladesh | Karachi | 30/06/2008 |
102 | 58 | 3 | 11 | AB de Villiers | India | Ahmedabad | 27/02/2010 |
125* | 60 | 6 | 14 | Virender Sehwag | New Zealand | Hamilton | 11/03/2009 |
He managed to score 7360 runs in 362 ODIs with an average of just 23.51 which apparently does not justify his talent.
However, all-rounder Afridi saw massive success with his leg-spin bowling as he has claimed 359 wickets so far to figure in the top 10 list of highest ODIs wicket-takers. His record in Tests is far from impressive.
Afridi also shared the third spot with Australian pacer Brett Lee for the most five-wicket hauls in ODIs behind Waqar Younis and Muttiah Muralitharan.
Afridi took over the reign of Pakistani cricket team in 2010 after Pakistan Cricket Board sacked Mohammad Yousuf. He led Pakistan in 2011 World Cup which was held in sub-continent.
The flamboyant all-rounder guided Pakistan to the semifinal of quadrennial event before their campaign was halted by the arch-rivals India.
Afridi was also the tournament's joint-leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets along with India's Zaheer Khan.
With the slam-bang style of batting on a roll, Afridi's fastest ODI-hundred record is on the radar of many young guns but it still remains to be seen as how long his feat will be on top of the record books.
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