"One bad egg spoils everything"- Shahid Afridi's huge statement after India pulls out of the Pakistan match in the WCL 2025

Shahid Afridi is the captain of the Pakistan Champions in the WCL 2025.

After a number of Indian players withdrew from the World Championship of Legends’ (WCL) second edition match against Pakistan, forcing the organisers to cancel Sunday’s match in Edgbaston, Birmingham, former all-rounder Shahid Afridi launched a vicious tirade on Monday.

Following public outcry over the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan, and Yusuf Pathan were reportedly among the first to withdraw from playing against Pakistan.

Veteran Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan made it official on his social media account, despite the lack of official confirmation regarding these players. He explained that he chose not to participate in the match due to the “geopolitical” situation between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam incident.

WCL cancelled the game as a result of the incident, and the organisers expressed regret for “unintentionally causing discomfort” to Indian icons.

Shahid Afridi says politics and cricket should be separate; takes veiled dig at Shikhar Dhawan

Shahid Afridi emphasised at a media appearance the need to keep politics and sport apart. India’s last-minute choice was also criticised by the former captain of Pakistan, who noted that their players had even practised before their tournament opener against the Pakistan Champions.

“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.

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,” Afridi said.

Afridi, meanwhile, called for unifying the two neighbouring countries through sports and reflected on the spirit of cricket.

“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,” he added

What is Shahid Afridi’s role in cricket? – Pakistan legend

Few media sources even implied that the Indian players’ decision to withdraw from the match was mostly due to Afridi’s participation. Shortly after the Pahalgam incident was ascribed to the Resistance Front, a branch of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the 48-year-old made a contentious anti-Indian statement that infuriated many.

“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,” he concluded.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.