3 Times When Shaheen Afridi's Short Temper Became A Topic Of Controversy

Shaheen Afridi- (X.com)Shaheen Afridi- (X.com)

Pakistan's star seamer Shaheen Afridi, who made his international debut in 2018, immediately rose to fame because of his magic with the new ball. The 24-year-old took the cricketing world by storm as the left-arm seamer became the fastest seamer to take 100 ODI wickets in 2023, a record he held till June 2024.

Afridi had made it a habit to pick wickets early on for Pakistan and, on several occasions, even troubled the Indian batters, as seen during previous T20 World Cup editions. However, in the recent past, Afridi's performance has taken a dip. 

Talking about 2024, Afridi has looked like a pale shadow of his earlier version. This year, Afridi has taken just 34 wickets in 19 matches, his worst wicket tally since 2020. One of the major reasons behind Afridi's decline in form is his disciplinary issues. 

Afridi has often hogged the internet for his disciplinary issues. Here are the three times when Shaheen shook the world by his behaviour. 

1.Misbehaviour With Coaches During T20 World Cup 2024

Pakistan suffered an early exit from T20 World Cup 2024 that raised several eyebrows. Skipper Babar Azam was under scrutiny, but shocking reports emerged from the dressing room that Afridi had misbehaved with the coaches during the tournament and was not cooperative.

Even in the report submitted by Pakistan's head coach, Gary Kirsten, to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, he mentioned about Shaheen Afridi's poor behaviour during the campaign. It also resulted in disciplinary action against him that saw Afridi being ousted as Pakistan's vice-captain.

2. Shouting His Own Teammate

This incident occurred during the first T20I match when Pakistan toured New Zealand in 2023. He was the captain during that series, and on one of the deliveries he bowled, Aamer Jamal covered the considerable distance and pulled a stunning effort to stop the ball from racing towards the boundary. However, the ball raced past the boundary ropes for a four.

While the commentators applauded Jamal's valiant dive, Afridi seemed frustrated and even shouted at Jamal, which left the fans concerned. 

3. Fight With Mohammad Yousuf

Before the T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan toured England, where there were reports that Afridi misbehaved with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf. The source, quoted by Geo TV, revealed that Afridi got furious after Yousuf called him out for bowling frequent no-balls. “Shaheen said to Mohammad Yousuf to let him do what he was doing and he should mind his own business," a Geo TV report read.