ShahidAfridi hits back at Shadab Khan after the latter’s ‘India World Cup’ comment

Shadab Khan had commented that former Pakistan cricketers had never been able to get the better of India in World Cups, but his side did so in 2021.

27-year-old Shadab Khan, after Pakistan’s Group A match win against Namibia in the T20 World Cup 2026 in Colombo, commented in the post-match press conference on Pakistan’s former players not being able to win a game against India in World Cups. This didn’t sit well with former cricketers in Pakistan and the PCB, who are now criticising him. ShahidAfridi also has hit back at Shadab for his comments.

ShahidAfridi gives it back to Shadab Khan and asks him to perform on the field.

ShahidAfridi hit back at Shadab Khan after the latter’s comment, where he said that former Pakistan cricketers had never been able to get the better of India in World Cups, but his side did so in 2021. 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 spot in the Super 8s. Shadab first hit an unbeaten 35 and then took 3 wickets, delivering a perfect all-round performance against Namibia. However, his comments in the post-match conference didn’t sit well with the former Pakistani players. 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. On Samaa TV, Afridi said, “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.”

More on what ShahidAfridi said about Shadab Khan.

Afridi said, “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.” Afridi also said that the former cricketers would stop talking about him on national television if he performs on the field against the bigger teams. He urged the all-rounder to show his skills on the field in the upcoming Super 8s games against New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka. He added, “So Shadab beta, aapbhi 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.”

The PCB has also warned Shadab Khan for making those comments about the former players. The other players were also told to just speak about the T20 World Cup and the team’s performance in the games.