'The lies do hurt' - Shaheen Afridi expresses dismay over spreading of rumours ahead of Champions Trophy

Pakistan are set to begin their campaign against New Zealand on February 19 in the Champions Trophy and will be going into the tournament as defending champions. This is going to be a big test for the Men in Green and the fans and experts will be looking forward to seeing how they go about defending their title.

Pakistan have always been known for their lethal pace bowling attack and right now one of their best bowlers in international cricket is Shaheen Shah Afridi. The 24-year-old left-arm seamer though has incredible records but has been a subject of speculations.

There are a lot of rumours suggesting that Afridi had rifts with coaches and senior players which has ultimately put him in bad light. There was also criticism going around when he was left out of the Test series against South Africa as well. However, Shaheen has finally opened up on the rumours and disagreed with everything that has been said about him.

“I will always be available for Test cricket. What frustrates me is when people say things about me that are just not true. In Pakistan, unfortunately, a lot of the time fans and journalists do not tell or report the truth. That is really dispiriting to see," Afridi said in an interview to ESPNcricinfo.

“If people say something critical about me but it is based in fact, it doesn't hurt me. But the lies do hurt, especially when journalists - whose job it is to tell the truth - do the opposite of it,” Afridi added.

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There was also a lot of criticism of Afridi’s pace where once the former Pakistan skipper, whose bowling speed ranged from 145-150 kmph, suddenly dropped to the mid-130s after coming back from an injury.

“People take a lot of interest in my speeds. But aside from the 2021 T20 World Cup, if you look at my bowling, I bowl between 135-137kph in the first over. But people notice it now and think my pace is down but I've never felt my pace is down in a way that it is stopping me getting wickets. The body is a bit like a machine and can break down. Sometimes you get fatigued and you can't show it because you have to do what the team requires of you,” Afridi said.