Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has strongly criticised Indian players for backing out of a Legends match against Pakistan just a day before the game in the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) tournament in England.

“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,” Afridi told reporters.

Tournament details and players involved

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).

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The India Champions team is led by World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh and includes several former stars like Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, and Varun Aaron. The Pakistan Champions squad features Shahid Afridi as captain, along with Younis Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, and Kamran Akmal.

Afridi expressed frustration over the last-minute decision by Indian players to not play the Pakistan match.

“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,” said Afridi.

Dhawan cites political tension for withdrawal

Former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan released an official statement on X confirming he would not play against Pakistan in the WCL.

“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,” his statement read.

Dhawan said his decision was based on the current geopolitical situation between India and Pakistan, referring to the recent Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor launched by Indian forces in response.

‘One bad egg spoils everything’, says  Afridi

Afridi also indirectly blamed one player 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.”

He added, “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.”

Other Indian players also choose to skip the match

Reports suggest Harbhajan Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP and brothers Yusuf and Irfan Pathan, who are also public figures, have decided to skip the Pakistan match as well. However, they have not released any official statements so far.

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The decision has sparked criticism on social media, where many fans accused the Indian legends of letting politics interfere with the spirit of the game.

India had beaten Pakistan in last year’s final

In the first edition of the WCL held last year, India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final, which also took place at Edgbaston.