Shahid Afridi reignites ‘bad egg’ remark right before India-Pakistan clash at Asia Cup

Shahid Afridi takes dig at India Champions again. (AP Photo)

The countdown to the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025 showdown between India and Pakistan has taken a dramatic twist, with former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi reigniting controversy just days ahead of the high-voltage clash in Dubai. The arch-rivals are set to face each other on Sunday in what will be their first cricket meeting since the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, adding an intense political backdrop to the match.

Meanwhile, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) had sought to call off the encounter, but a bench led by JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi in the Supreme Court of India rejected the plea on Thursday, clearing the way for the fixture to proceed as planned.

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Afridi, however, has sparked a new storm with his remarks on Samaa TV. Reflecting on the cancellation of the India Champions vs Pakistan Champions match in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) earlier this year, he criticized former Indian players who had withdrawn from the contest. “I have always said that cricket should go on; it has always helped in making the relations better between the two countries. In England, people had bought tickets to see the WCL match, and the players had practised.

Then you didn’t play. What was the thinking? I just can’t understand,” Afridi said.

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He also reiterated his earlier “bad egg” remark aimed at Shikhar Dhawan, stating: “If I name any player, then their lives would be made hard. The player I referred to as a bad egg, his captain also told him, ‘If you don’t want to play, then don’t play. Just don’t tweet on social media.’ But that said, the player had come with an ulterior motive. That is why he was a bad egg.”

Afridi further alleged that some retired Indian cricketers are overly eager to display their patriotism. “There are plenty of issues in India. Some people reach the houses of players and threaten to burn them down. Certain players are still trying to prove they are Indian. They have been displaying this ever since being born. Now they are doing commentary in the Asia Cup,” he said.

With tensions already at boiling point and Afridi’s statements adding fuel to the fire, Sunday’s India-Pakistan faceoff in Dubai is shaping up to be one of the most emotionally charged fixtures in the history of the Asia Cup.