Afridi Denies Pathan’s 2006 Argument Claim, Accuses Fabrication
Shahid Afridi has strongly denied Irfan Pathan’s account of an alleged argument that took place mid-air during India’s 2006 tour of Pakistan. Afridi dismissed Pathan’s claims as entirely fabricated and questioned the former Indian cricketer’s motives for bringing up the incident now.
In response to Pathan’s recounting of the event, Afridi challenged the veracity of the claims and suggested that Pathan was trying to prove his Indian identity. He stated that no such argument occurred and openly invited Pathan to confront him directly about the issue rather than making public statements.
Afridi has been quoted saying that Pathan’s statements are untrue and that he is confused as to why the latter is giving false statements about him. He also mentioned that Abdul Razzaq also denied the existence of such an argument, further undermining Pathan’s version of events.
The alleged incident, as described by Pathan, supposedly took place during a flight taken by both the Indian and Pakistani teams during the 2006 series. Pathan had claimed that a heated exchange occurred between him and Afridi, but this account has now been firmly rejected by the former Pakistani captain. The series itself was a significant one, featuring both Test matches and One Day Internationals played in Pakistan.
The denial from Afridi adds a new layer of complexity to the story, potentially leading to further rebuttals and clarifications from the involved parties. The conflicting accounts highlight the challenges in definitively establishing what transpired during the long-ago journey and raise questions about the motivations behind the resurfacing of these claims. As of now, Afridi has said he wants Pathan to come and talk to him directly if he has any issues with him, rather than talk to the press about it. He wants Pathan to stop trying to ‘prove’ he is Indian.
The 2006 tour remains a memorable one for cricket fans on both sides of the border. Any controversy, even years after the fact, tends to rekindle those memories and draw attention to past events. The claims and counter-claims are likely to keep the conversation going for some time.
Disclaimer: This news article is based on publicly available information and may be subject to updates.
