Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi sparked fresh controversy on Sunday, July 20, after the Indian Legends team pulled out of their highly-anticipated match against Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. The decision came amid backlash over Afridi’s participation, with several Indian players reportedly unwilling to play due to his past controversial remarks against India.
The exhibition match was set to be held at Edgbaston, but Indian players withdrew at the last moment, citing discomfort over Afridi’s presence. The move followed Shikhar Dhawan’s public statement, where he refused to take the field if Afridi was part of the opposition.
Reacting to the withdrawal, Afridi told local media,
“Sports brings countries closer. If politics comes between everything, how will you move forward? The idea of these events is to meet one-on-one. But you know, there is always one rotten egg that spoils everything.”
He directly blamed Dhawan, calling him a “rotten egg” who influenced others in the Indian team to back out.
“They trained a day before the match. I think they pulled out just because of one guy. Even the Indian team is very disappointed. I am telling you—you should be a good ambassador for the country, not an embarrassment,” Afridi added.
Afridi also said he would have gladly withdrawn from the match had he known his presence was an issue.
“If they didn’t want to play because of me, I would have stayed home. Who is Shahid Afridi in front of cricket? No one. If they didn’t want to play, they shouldn’t have come. Go sit at home and play amongst yourselves,” he remarked.
The match between India and Pakistan at WCL 2025 was set to be the first cricket fixture between the two nations since the Operation Sindoor conflict. However, mounting social media backlash from Indian citizens over playing alongside Pakistanis in light of recent cross-border tensions led to the decision being reconsidered.
Afridi’s call for sportsmanship stood in stark contrast to his earlier comments made in April, where he accused the Indian government of carrying out attacks on its own citizens in Pahalgam.
“India carries out terrorism itself, kills its own people, and then blames Pakistan,” Afridi had said at the time.
Despite the inflammatory remarks, Afridi attempted to project himself as a peace ambassador on Sunday:
“We were really excited to play. We were expecting 17,000–18,000 fans at Edgbaston. It’s disappointing the match didn’t happen,” he said.
The situation underscores the fragile nature of cricket diplomacy between the two nations, especially when former players carry political baggage into sporting events.
