‘Sometimes, there's one bad egg that spoils everything for everyone else’
Shahid Afridi didn’t hold back. After the India–Pakistan match in the World Championship of Legends was cancelled due to a sudden withdrawal by several Indian players, the former Pakistan captain lashed out, calling for politics to stay out of cricket.
Afridi’s remarks came as organisers confirmed the Indian pullout followed public backlash after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22— an episode that has now cast a shadow over the tournament.
According to reports, Indian greats including Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, and the Pathan brothers – Irfan and Yusuf – were among the first to step back from the clash. While no official statements came from them, veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan publicly confirmed his decision not to play, citing the ‘current geopolitical situation’ between India and Pakistan.
With the Indian team’s withdrawal, WCL organisers were left with no choice but to cancel the game, later issuing an apology for ‘unintentionally causing discomfort’ to the Indian legends.
Afridi, speaking to the media, expressed disappointment and urged for politics to be kept away from sport.
‘We are here to play cricket, and I've always said that cricket should be kept away from politics — it should move forward,’ said the former all-rounder. ‘A player should be a good ambassador, not a source of embarrassment for their country.’
The former Pakistan skipper also questioned the timing of the decision, pointing out that the Indian team had trained ahead of the game.
‘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.’
WCL co-organiser and Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan confirmed that the tournament will go on as scheduled, with no changes to the remaining matches.
‘All the remaining matches are taking place. The tournament is going on as per schedule, and there are no changes,’ said Khan. ‘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.’
‘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.’
Afridi also made a strong pitch for using sport to heal political divides.
‘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.’
‘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 speculated that it was Afridi’s presence – and his recent controversial remark following the Pahalgam attack – that led to the Indian players' withdrawal. The 48-year-old had drawn criticism for comments seen as anti-India, made shortly after the Resistance Front (a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Afridi insisted he would have stepped back had he known he was the issue.
‘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 sports is bigger, cricket is bigger, and it's bigger than Shahid Afridi too.’
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