Shahid Afridi leads the Pakistan Champions team in the WCL 2025. Ahead of the World Championship of Legends’ (WCL) second edition match against Pakistan, several Indian players withdrew, prompting the organisers to cancel Sunday’s game at Edgbaston, Birmingham. In response, former all-rounder Shahid Afridi launched a strong criticism on Monday.
Following widespread backlash over the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, players including Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan reportedly pulled out of the match against Pakistan.
Veteran Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan confirmed his withdrawal on social media, citing the “geopolitical” tensions between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam incident, despite no official statement from the other players.
Due to these developments, the WCL cancelled the match and the organisers expressed regret for “unintentionally causing discomfort” to Indian cricket legends.
Shahid Afridi stresses the need to separate politics from cricket and subtly criticizes Shikhar Dhawan’s last-minute withdrawal
During a recent media interaction, Shahid Afridi underscored the importance of keeping politics out of sports. The former Pakistan captain also took a veiled dig at India’s last-minute decision to pull out, highlighting that their players had even practiced ahead of the tournament opener against Pakistan.
“We are here to play cricket. I’ve always believed cricket should remain free from politics and continue to progress. A player should represent their country with pride, not cause embarrassment.
If India didn’t want to face Pakistan, they should have refused before arriving. But they came, held practice sessions, and then abruptly changed their stance at the last moment,” Afridi said.
Afridi further emphasized the power of sports in bringing the two neighboring nations together, reflecting on cricket’s true spirit.
“Sports can unite people, but when politics interfere, progress halts. Until we sit down and talk, things won’t improve—lack of communication only worsens the situation. We are here to play cricket, engage in one-on-one interactions, and share friendly conversations. Unfortunately, sometimes a single bad apple spoils it for everyone else,” he added.
Some media outlets suggested that the Indian team’s withdrawal was largely influenced by Afridi’s presence. Following the Pahalgam incident, which was linked to the Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba faction, Afridi, now 48, made a provocative anti-India statement that sparked anger.
“If I had known the match would be stopped because of me, I wouldn’t have stepped onto the field. But cricket must go on. What is Shahid Afridi compared to cricket? Nothing. The game is bigger. Bringing politics into it, or an Indian player refusing to play Pakistan—if you don’t want to play, just stay out. But sport is greater than all of us, and cricket is bigger than Shahid Afridi,” he concluded.
Big statement By Lala Shahid Afridi
— Muhammad Waleed Khan (@immwofficial) July 20, 2025
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