Lahore: Jofra Archer became the fastest England bowler to reach 50 ODI wickets, against Afghanistan in the Group B encounter of the Champions Trophy 2025, here at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Archer made an explosive start, dismantling Afghanistan’s top order by picking up three quick wickets. In the process, he reached a significant milestone—completing 50 wickets in One Day Internationals (ODIs). More importantly, he became the fastest bowler in England’s history to achieve this feat, surpassing the legendary James Anderson.

Before Archer’s feat, Anderson held the record for the fastest 50 wickets for England in ODIs, having achieved the milestone in 31 matches. But Archer went one step further, accomplishing the landmark in just his 30th ODI. With this, he also outpaced other notable English bowlers, including Steve Harmison (32 matches), Steven Finn (33 matches), and Stuart Broad & Darren Gough (both in 34 matches).

On the global stage, Sri Lanka’s mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis still holds the world record for the fastest 50 ODI wickets, achieving the milestone in just 19 matches. Among pacers, India’s Ajit Agarkar remains one of the quickest, having reached the mark in only 23 ODIs.

Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first but were reduce to 39/3 in powerplay. Archer’s fiery spell saw him dismissing strike batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz (6) with an inswinging fuller delivery. Then he trapped Sediqullah Atal in front of the wicket for four runs.

Rahmat Shah trying to pull the ball edged it straight in the deep fineleg on four runs for Archer’s third wicket.

Archer’s journey to this milestone took him nearly six years, even after his blistering start in 2019, where he claimed 23 ODI wickets and a World Cup winner’s medal within months of his debut. However, a series of devastating injuries, coupled with the diminishing prominence of the ODI format, slowed his progress. Despite the setbacks, reaching this landmark remains a significant achievement.