World Championship of Legends: Shahid Afridi breaks silence after India pull out of Pakistan game

Several Indian players pulled out of the match against Pakistan in the second edition of the World Championship of Legends. Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan were among the first to withdraw from participating in the match against Pakistan, following public backlash, in reference to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

The development forced the organisers to cancel Sunday's fixture at Edgbaston in Birmingham. In response, former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi launched a scathing attack on the Indian players. Afridi stressed the need to separate politics from sport. 

"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," said Afridi.

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Afridi slammed the Indian players for their last-minute decision, pointing out that their players even held a practice session before their tournament opener against Pakistan Champions.

"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," said Afridi.