How Irfan Pathan Silenced Afridi During Pakistan Tour

Irfan Pathan may not have played as long as some of India’s cricketing greats, but few left such an impact in such a short time.

A left-arm swing bowler who could dismantle batting line-ups and a handy batter lower down the order, Pathan often reserved his finest performances for the fiercest stage — against Pakistan. His hat-trick in Karachi in 2006 and his Man of the Match display in the 2007 T20 World Cup final are etched in cricketing memory.

But Pathan’s rivalry with Pakistan wasn’t just about wickets and runs.

Off the field too, he had a fiery back-and-forth with Shahid Afridi — one such episode from 2006 still makes him chuckle today.

Among the Pakistan stars, though, Shahid Afridi was the one with whom Pathan shared a particularly bitter competition. On the field, he dismissed Afridi 11 times. Off the field, their exchanges were just as fiery.

Pathan recently recalled an incident from the 2006 tour of Pakistan that left Afridi stunned into silence.

“During the 2006 tour, we were flying from Karachi to Lahore. Both teams were on the same flight. Afridi came, put his hand on my head and messed up my hair. He said, ‘How are you kid?’” Pathan told Lallantop.

“I thought, since when did you become my father? I wasn’t even speaking to him. Then he started saying some unpleasant things. His seat was near mine, and he just wouldn’t stop.”

It was then that Pathan decided to hit back in a way Afridi wouldn’t expect. Sitting next to Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, Pathan asked him casually, “Razzaq bhai, what kind of meat do you get here?”

Razzaq replied that almost every kind of meat was available. Pathan then delivered the punchline, “I asked him if dog meat was available. Razzaq looked shocked and asked me why I said that. I told him, ‘Afridi must have eaten dog meat, he’s been barking non-stop.’”

Afridi, Pathan said, fell silent immediately.

“He didn’t say a word for the rest of the flight. He realized he wouldn’t be able to get the better of me verbally, and after that day he never tried again,” Pathan revealed.