WCL 2025: 'There is always one rotten egg' - Shahid Afridi opens up on India pulling out of Pakistan game

In the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL 2025), a much-anticipated clash between India Champions and Pakistan Champions was called off after several Indian players opted out of the fixture because of the current geopolitical situation and tensions between the two neighbouring countries. The match, scheduled for July 20 at Edgbaston, Birmingham, was set to be India’s tournament opener but was cancelled after Indian legends expressed their unwillingness to play against their arch-rivals.

The fallout comes from the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in India, which triggered cross-border tensions with Pakistan. Shahid Afridi, who had previously made remarks alleging Indian involvement in terror activities against their people, faced intense backlash from Indian fans. Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan publicly declared he wouldn’t participate in any match involving the Pakistan side due to the geopolitical situation.

His statement was backed by withdrawals from other Indian players, including Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan. Following the public outrage and players’ stand, WCL organisers were forced to cancel the India-Pakistan tie. Post which, Shahid Afridi broke his silence and slammed Dhawan and the Indian contingent.

"Sports brings countries closer. If politics comes between everything then how will you move forward? Without communication, things cannot be solved. The idea for these kinds of events is also to meet one on one. But you know, there is always one rotten egg, which spoils everything. They trained a day before the match. I think that they pulled out just because of one guy. Even the Indian team is very disappointed. They were here to play. I am telling you, you should be a good ambassador for the country, not an embarrassment," Afridi told the media on Sunday, July 20.

If they had not played for me, I would have stayed home: Afridi

Notably, Afridi’s request to keep politics out of cricket contrasts with his past comments. Just months ago, he accused India of orchestrating the Pahalgam attacks and blamed the Indian military for inaction. His involvement in the WCL match, despite these prior statements, became a hot topic for Indian players. However, Afridi later expressed regret over the cancellation and claimed he would have stepped back if informed earlier. 

"We were very excited to play the second match (vs India). I thought we would be at the ground. We were expecting 17,000–18,000 fans, who would have enjoyed the match. But yeah, it is quite disappointing that we did not play. If they did not played for me, I would have stayed home. Cricket should have continued. Who is Shahid Afridi in front of cricket? No one. If they did not want to play why did they come here? Go sit at home and play between yourselves," he added.

WCL organisers have since confirmed that the rest of the tournament will go ahead as planned. Pakistan Champions were awarded two points for the cancelled game, and the possibility of an India-Pakistan knockout clash is still uncertain. Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan pointed out that future meetings between the two sides would be avoided in the group stages, but added that any potential semi-final or final clash would be decided based on circumstances.