A day after several Indian players reportedly refused to take the field against a Pakistan team, featuring the controversial Shahid Afridi, in the second edition of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), the former Pakistan captain expressed frustration over the last-minute decision by the Indian players to pull out of the game.
Afridi, who had previously made controversial remarks about India in the aftermath of the barbaric terror attacks in Pahalgam and pointed fingers at India’s security forces, launched a scathing attack on the Indian players, emphasising sports and politics to remain two separate entities.
According to reports, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan, and Yusuf Pathan were among the first to withdraw from participating in the match against Pakistan, following public backlash, in reference to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
Although there was no official confirmation about these players, veteran Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan made it official on his social media handle, explaining that he decided not to play in the match in view of the current “geopolitical” situation between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam incident.
“This is to formally reiterate and confirm that Mr. Shikhar Dhawan will not be participating in any matches against the Pakistan team in the upcoming WCL League. This decision was communicated earlier during our discussion on call and WhatsApp dated 11th May 2025,” Dhawan’s statement said.
The situation led WCL to cancel the game, with the organisers apologising for “unintentionally causing discomfort” to Indian legends.
Criticising the Indian players’ stand, Afridi said, “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.”
The second edition of the WCL, co-owned by Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, started on June 18 at Edgbaston and is scheduled to conclude on August 2. The tournament is being held under the banner of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
‘One bad egg spoils everything’
Afridi also indirectly blamed Dhawan, referring to him as “one bad egg” for spoiling the spirit of the game.
“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.”
Reacting to media reports that suggested his presence could be a reason that the Indians decided to withdraw from the match, Afridi said, “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.”
“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 sport is bigger, cricket is bigger, and it’s bigger than Shahid Afridi too,” he added.