Several Indian cricketers reportedly pulled out of match against Pakistan in WCL 2025.
The cancellation of India's match against Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends (WCL 2025) on Sunday reignited the sports versus politics argument, with Pakistan's champion Shahid Afridi arguing that the two should be kept separate.
Shikhar Dhawan, a member of India's Champions team, explicitly refused to play against Pakistan in the WCL match in Birmingham. At the same time, a number of other Indian cricketers, including Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, and the Pathan brothers, also walked out. As a result, the organizers had no option but to call off the match.
Speaking to reporters after the match was canceled, Afridi bizarrely emphasized the importance of keeping cricket and politics separate, despite having previously made controversial political statements.
"We are here to play cricket, and I've always said that cricket should be kept away from politics—it should move forward. A player should be a good ambassador, not a source of embarrassment for their country," Afridi told reporters.
The former Pakistan national team captain even stated that India should not have traveled to the venue if they did not want to play.
"We've come here to play cricket. If [India] didn't want to play against Pakistan, they should've refused before coming here. But now you've arrived, even held practice sessions, and then suddenly changed everything in a single day," he added.
Additionally, Afridi made a subtle jab at Shikhar Dhawan, implying that he was a "bad egg" because the former India opener was the first to object to the Indo-Pak match in the WCL. He did so for the first time a few months ago and then reiterated his position on Saturday.
On Saturday, taking to social media, Dhawan confirmed his stance on the eve of the contest. He said, "Jo Kadam 11 May ko liya, uspe aaj bhi waise hi khada hoon. Mera desh mere liye sab kuch hai, aur desh se badhkar aur kuch nahi hota. (The decision I took on 11 May, I still stand by it. My country is everything to me, and nothing is greater than the country)."
Afridi also stated that sports should be kept separate from cricket. He added that if he had known the match would be cancelled because of his participation, he wouldn’t have come to the ground itself.
"Sports bring people closer, but if politics gets involved in everything, how will we move forward? Until we sit together and discuss issues, nothing will improve—lack of communication only makes things worse. We've come here to play cricket, to have one-on-one interactions and friendly conversations. But sometimes, there's one rotten egg that spoils everything for everyone else.
If I had known the match was being stopped because of me, I wouldn't have even gone to the ground. But cricket should go on. What is Shahid Afridi in front of cricket? Nothing,” he stated.
"The game comes first. As a sport, cricket is the biggest thing. Bringing politics into it or an Indian cricketer saying he won't play against Pakistan—then don't play, sit out. But sports is bigger, cricket is bigger, and it's bigger than Shahid Afridi too," he concluded.