'It's all good, these things happen' - Shahid Afridi settles the dust with Suresh Raina over social media banter

Players often reach their breaking point, losing patience and sometimes resorting to verbal insults, or even physical altercations in a sport as passion-filled as cricket. After former skipper of Pakistan, Shahid Afridi was named one of the ambassadors of the forthcoming T20 World Cup 2024 along with other icons of the game, namely Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle, as well as eight-time Olympic gold medalist, Usain Bolt.

In the aftermath, a Pakistan-based journalist Imran Siddique, taunted Raina for not getting nominated by the apex cricket governing body ICC through his social media handle. However, to extinguish the fire started by the journalist, Afridi addressed the issue, emphasizing that jestful ribbing often occurs between close friends. Upon seeing Raina's tweet, he promptly reached out to him, and both parties reconciled, leading Raina to delete the post.

"Suresh Raina and I have shared many cricketing moments, and he's a good person. Sometimes, lighthearted banter happens. After seeing his post on social media, I spoke with him, and he understood the situation like a younger brother. He agreed to delete the tweet. It's all good, these things happen. Great individuals acknowledge and rectify their mistakes," Afridi said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.

Also Read: Shahid Afridi unveiled as T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador

Suresh Raina darted back with a strong reply to Journalist on Shahid Afridi's matter

Interestingly, before Shahid Afridi intervened to sort out the matter, the journalist had taken to his social media in a bid to ridicule the former Indian legend but Suresh Raina had other plans. He darted back at the journalist with an epic comeback reply. In this case, the motive was amply clear: to ridicule the former Indian allrounder in a bid to prove Afridi's superiority in the context of fame and cricketing prowess.

"ICC has named Shahid Afridi as an ambassador for ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Hello Suresh Raina?" Siddiqui wrote on his 'X' handle.

Also Read: ‘He might win that too’ - Suresh Raina makes hilarious comment about Pat Cummins’ win rate

In a sharp-witted reply in a now-deleted tweet, Suresh Raina asserted that despite not being recognized as an ICC ambassador, he had earned the prestigious 2011 Cricket World Cup title as a respected member of the esteemed squad. Besides, he also highlighted the semi-final match of the same tournament, which took place in Mohali. In this match, Team India convincingly defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 29 runs. Notably, Afridi had an off day, going wicketless in his quota and contributing only 19 runs when Pakistan required him to play a captain's knock to guide them to victory.