ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi took his fans down memory lane as he hit a quickfire 101 runs off 42 balls for Hampshire in a NatWest T20 Blast county match on Tuesday. Showing form that has not been witnessed for a while, Afridi did not let the Derbyshire bowling lineup settle as he opened for the Hampshire side. A sensational first Twenty20 century from the swirling bat of Afridi ended Derbyshire’s dream of reaching finals day for the first time on a night of tumbling records at the 3aaa County Ground. Reminding people of his past form, the veteran cricketer sent the ball over the boundary with seven sixes and 10 fours. Afridi announced his retirement from international cricket, ending an illustrious and sometimes controversial 21-year career in February this year. The hard-hitter held the record for the fastest one-day hundred for nearly 17 years after blasting 102 off 37 balls against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996. His record was beaten by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson in 2013 in Queenstown against the West Indies by just one ball. Published in Daily Times, August 24th 2017.