5 Times Shahid Afridi made controversial comments

Shahid Afridi was the game-changer for Pakistan during his playing days. Be it with the ball or bat, he had the knack of producing match-winning performances. The Pakistan superstar played 27 Test matches, 398 ODIs, and 99 T20Is in an international career that spanned for a couple of decades.

However, there were multiple retirements in that span. He kept retiring and kept coming back as well. Moreover, he has served Pakistan cricket as the captain for quite some time. While he led his national side in just one Test, he captained in 38 ODI matches. He also was the skipper in 43 T20Is which is the most by a Pakistan captain so far in the shortest format.

Afridi is not only known for making comebacks from retirement but also for his controversial statements. Over the years, he has often irked in press-conferences and has made controversial comments. Hence, here are five times where Shahid Afridi made controversial statements.

1. Indians are not as large-hearted as us (2011)

Over the years, India have had the edge over Pakistan in ICC tournaments. In 2011 World Cup, Shahid Afridi’s Pakistan came up short against India in the big semi-final. It was the fifth successive time India beat Pakistan in a World Cup game.

India huffed and puffed their way to 260. However, the Indian bowlers were up to the task as they defended a par score and beat Pakistan by 29 runs. Afridi was all praise for the Indian team in the post-match presentation.

However, it was a couple of days after India’s World Cup win, Afridi compared the hearts of the Indians and Pakistanis. He felt that the Indians are not as large-hearted as his countrymen. “In my opinion, if I have to tell the truth, they (Indians) will never have hearts like Muslims and Pakistanis. I don’t think they have the large and clean hearts that Allah has given us,” Afridi who was the captain of Pakistan’s 2011 World Cup side was quoted saying.