Shahid Afridi hits back at Shadab Khan's ‘India World Cup’ comment following criticism row: ‘Beta perform karo’

After Pakistan's defeat against India in the 2026 T20 World Cup on February 15, Afridi and Yousuf said that Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Shadab should be dropped and that youngsters should be given a chance. However, the Salman Ali Agha-led stepped up in the next game against Namibia, winning by 102 runs to seal a berth in the Super 8s.

Afridi said that Shadab and the rest of the Pakistan team might have been able to beat India in the 2021 T20 World Cup, but they were not able to handle the aftermath of the achievement.

“Shadab was absolutely right when he said that we didn't beat India in the World Cups, but his side did. They got respect after that, but they couldn't handle it. By the respect thing, I mean that after they defeated India, they could not handle the issues between them. Shadab should also know that when he was not able to perform for the team, we guys stood up for him on national television, saying he is the backbone of the team,” Afridi said on Samaa.TV.

“I know Shadab, he is a very good guy, he has always spoken to us respectfully. When people talked about us during our playing days, we always backed up our words with our actions on the field. Not against the smaller teams, we used to perform against the bigger teams,” he added.

“So Shadab beta, aap bhi performance kariye. Beta performances karo. (Please perform). We stood by you in your difficult times; you didn't play domestic cricket, yet you still got into the national team. If you want to answer us, then do it by performing on the field. Perform and let the World Cup get over, we will get quiet after that,” said Afridi.

Earlier, according to a report in Telecom Asia Sport, Shadab's comments about the former players didn't sit well with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and the all-rounder was warned for his antics.

The other players were also told to just speak about the T20 World Cup and the team's performance in the games.

Speaking of Pakistan, Agha's team will play the first Super 8s match on Saturday against New Zealand at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

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