Former Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi severely chastised Indian cricketers for withdrawing from the high-profile game against Pakistan in the second World Championship of Legends (WCL). The game, to be played on Sunday at Edgbaston, was ultimately canceled by organizers following the withdrawal of several Indian players, citing increased tensions after the Pahalgam terror attack.
In line with reports, top Indian legends such as Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan opted to miss the game amidst increasing public criticism in India for the terror attack that happened in April.
While most players remained mum, older cricketer Shikhar Dhawan acknowledged his withdrawal, explaining through social media that he opted not to play because of the prevailing “geopolitical” climate.
“Cricket Should Be Kept Away From Politics”: Afridi
Responding to the news, Shahid Afridi called upon the two countries to keep politics out of sport. In a conversation with journalists in Birmingham, former Pakistan skipper explained:
“We are here to play cricket, and I’ve always believed that cricket should be kept away from politics — it should move forward. A player should be a good ambassador, not a source of embarrassment for his country.”
Afridi was also critical of the Indian team for pulling out at the eleventh hour when they had already reached the venue and participated in practice sessions.
“If they did not wish to play against Pakistan, they should have said so before arriving here. But you’ve come here, even conducted practice sessions, and then rearranged everything all within one day,” he said.
WCL Match Canceled, Pakistan Awarded Points
The World Championship of Legends organisers had to postpone the match after the withdrawals. In a formal statement, they expressed regret for “unintentionally causing discomfort” to Indian players.
Kamil Khan, franchise owner of the Pakistan Champions, confirmed that the tournament would go ahead as planned.
“All the remaining games are happening. The tournament is happening according to schedule, and there is no change,” said Khan. He added that even though group-stage matches would continue as usual, the WCL would attempt to prevent India-Pakistan matches during the knockout rounds if tensions continue to rise.
“As for the semifinals and final. If we go to the final, then those decisions will be made then. And for this match, the two points will be given to us, and we are deserving of those points as per the rules,” he said.
Controversy Around Afridi’s Remarks
Certain media outlets indicated that the withdrawal of Indian players was provoked by Afridi, who, in turn, made his inflammatory comments after the attack in Pahalgam, blamed on The Resistance Front, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Reacting to this, Afridi stated, “If I had known the game was being suspended due to me, I would not have gone to the ground. But cricket must continue. What is Shahid Afridi compared to cricket? Nothing.”
“The game is paramount. Cricket as a sport is the largest thing. Politicizing it or an Indian cricketer stating he will not play against Pakistan — then don’t play, just stay out. But sports is larger, cricket is larger, and it’s greater than Shahid Afridi as well,” he added.
Afridi also pointed out the uniting potential of sport and the necessity to improve communication between the two nations.
“Soccer unites individuals, but when politics enters everything, how will we proceed? Until we talk things over together, nothing will get better — the lack of communication only worsens,” he added.
