Shahid Afridi condemned India’s last-minute decision, highlighting that their players had even conducted a practice session before the opener against Pakistan.

Shahid Afridi Criticizes Indian Players’ Withdrawal Amid WCL Match Cancellation

Former all-rounder Shahid Afridi launched a scathing attack after several Indian players pulled out of the match against Pakistan in the second edition of the World Championship of Legends, leading organizers to cancel Sunday’s fixture at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Reports indicated that Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan, and Yusuf Pathan were among the first to withdraw following public backlash related to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. Although no official confirmation came from the players initially, veteran Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan confirmed his withdrawal on social media, citing the current “geopolitical” situation between India and Pakistan as the reason. The WCL organizers subsequently canceled the game and apologized for “unintentionally causing discomfort” to the Indian legends.

Speaking to the media, Shahid Afridi emphasized the importance of separating politics from sport, saying, “We are here to play cricket, and I’ve always said 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 their country.”

Afridi Criticizes India’s Last-Minute Withdrawal and Calls for Sports to Unite

The former Pakistan captain also criticized India for their last-minute decision, pointing out that their players even held a practice session before their tournament opener against Pakistan Champions.

“We’ve come here to play cricket. If [India] didn’t want to play against Pakistan, they should’ve refused before coming here. But now you’ve arrived, even held practice sessions, and then suddenly changed everything in a single day,” he added.

Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan confirmed that the WCL will continue as scheduled, with no changes ahead. He also said WCL will likely intervene if the two teams face each other in the knockout rounds.

“All the remaining matches are taking place. The tournament is going on as per schedule, and there are no changes. As for the semifinals and final, we’re currently saying that if we make it to the semifinals, there will be four teams, and we will avoid matches between the two teams,” he said. “If we reach the final, then the decisions regarding that will be made then. And as for this match, the two points will be awarded to us, and we deserve those points as per the rules,” he added.

Afridi, meanwhile, called for unifying the two neighboring countries through sports and reflected on the spirit of cricket.

“Sports bring people closer, but if politics gets involved in everything, how will we move forward? Until we sit together and discuss issues, nothing will improve — lack of communication only makes things worse,” he said. “We’ve come here to play cricket, to have one-on-one interactions and friendly conversations. But sometimes, there’s one bad egg that spoils everything for everyone else.”

Some media reports suggested Shahid Afridi presence was the main reason behind Indian players pulling out, as he had made controversial anti-India remarks following the Pahalgam attack attributed to the Resistance Front, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which sparked widespread anger. Afridi said that had he known, he would have avoided the venue altogether.

“If I had known the match was being stopped because of me, I wouldn’t have even gone to the ground. But cricket should go on. What is Shahid Afridi in front of cricket? Nothing,” he said.

“The game comes first. As a sport, cricket is the biggest thing. Bringing politics into it or an Indian cricketer saying he won’t play against Pakistan — then don’t play, just sit out. But sports is bigger, cricket is bigger, and it’s bigger than Shahid Afridi too,” he concluded.