Watch: Broadcasters Show Shahid Afridi's Real Age In 1996
Updated - 03 May 2019, 08:50 PM
Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has caused a stir in the cricketing fraternity by opening up on the mystery surrounding his age in his autobiography ‘Game Changer’. The allrounder has sensationally revealed that he was born in 1975 and not 1980 as the official records state. It means that Afridi was not 16 when he hit the famous record-breaking 37-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996.
“I was just nineteen, and not sixteen like they claim. I was born in 1975. So yes, the authorities stated my age incorrectly,” Afridi has written in book.
Also Read: Gautam Gambhir Is Barely A Character In The Great Scheme Of Cricket: Shahid Afridi
Afridi’s age has been a major area of discussion for quite some time now. The allrounder has also contributed in the never-ending discussion by announcing his retirement several times and making a u-turn. With the passage of times, Afridi’s age became the topic of jokes across social media. But Afridi has failed to end the confusion even after making a bold claim about his age. Had he been born in 1975, rather than 1980, as the official records state, he would have been 21 at the time of his debut, and not 19 as stated by him. Afridi finally announced retirement from international cricket in 2017. He represented Pakistan in 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20 Internationals.
Also Read: IPL 2019: Ajinkya Rahane Set to Take Back Captaincy Reins After Steve Smith Leaves
But it looks like Afridi’s real age was not a big secret as he thinks. In fact, while he was wrong to calculate his real age even though he said he was born in 1975, the broadcasters had showed his correct age when he played the famous ODI against Sri Lanka in 1996. In a video of that innings that has gone viral since Afridi’s revelation, the broadcasters correctly showed that Afridi was 21-years old in 1996.
Here is a clip of that match which shows 21-year Old Afridi playing an ODI in 1996.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=pc9_gwNZVXs
Tagged:
Pakistan Shahid Afridi
