But before dissecting what he said, we need some perspective
Shahid Afridi was once again in headlines, and since his retirement, this was once again not a praiseworthy occasion for the former Pakistan captain.
But before dissecting what he said, we need some perspective.
Afridi made his name in cricket for his swashbuckling feats with the bat and later his leg-spin, but whenever the all-rounder was discussed, the subject would highlight his thoughtless aggression with the bat. There is no doubting his ability that he turned matches into Pakistan’s favour on more occasions than one, a feat matched by only few, but mostly the innings didn’t follow any sense, one reason he could do the unthinkable at times, but that was because he rode on emotions rather than rationale.
In a viral video on social media, he is once again seen doing what he does best, ride on emotions and blurt out words which hurt a majority of listeners, exactly like his rash shots which hurt Pakistan and their pursuit of victory.
His exact words, though translated, that “Pakistan can’t even manage its four provinces” so they don’t want Kashmir, spelt disaster for him, as Indian media, always looking for crap to sell, pounced on his statement and made a mockery of the country and the cricket star too.
Though the contemporary world is all for freedom of speech and Afridi looks like one of the most ardent supporters of it, but sticking to one’s area of expertise is also a rule to be followed. Foreign policy and politics are very different from cricket. Afridi, commenting on cricket, is acceptable, his criticism is welcome, but him remarking on a sensitive issue like Kashmir, is uncalled for, unnecessary, and to put it in perspective, emotional and not backed by a proper understanding of politics.
We hope Afridi has learnt his lesson from the social media outrage this time around!
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2018.
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