Pakistan’s legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi has adopted a shocking stance during the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. He has openly said that he will still keep his son-in-law Shaheen Afridi out of his favorite Pakistan XI, even though the left-arm pacer has performed strongly against England in the ongoing tournament.
Shaheen Afridi’s struggle forces Shahid Afridi to take a strange path
Pakistan’s star left-arm fast bowler had to struggle badly in the group stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. He could take only one wicket each against Netherlands, America and India. Shaheen gave away 28 runs in three overs against Netherlands and 42 runs in four overs against America. The biggest blow came against India in Colombo, where he gave away 31 runs in just two overs.
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Due to this, Pakistan team management dropped Afridi to win the match against Namibia. Then, in the Super 8 stage, he was again eliminated from the tie against New Zealand at the same Colombo venue, although that game was abandoned without a single ball being bowled.
For many, it was disappointing that Pakistan’s main weapon was sitting out during such a crucial stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. There was a lot of pressure on Shaheen Afridi because questions were being raised from everywhere.
Shaheen Afridi’s explosive comeback
Shaheen Afridi finally returned to the Pakistan XI against England in place of Faheem Ashraf in his second Super 8 match in Pallekele and he came back at full strength. The fast bowler destroyed England’s top order by taking four wickets.
His very first ball of the match sent England’s dangerous opener Phil Salt back to the pavilion. It was a dream debut and a befitting reply to its critics. However, Pakistan lost that match by two wickets.
Afridi’s mind game plan
After the match, Shahid Afridi revealed why he kept his son-in-law out of his favorite playing eleven. The former Pakistan captain said that he wanted to hurt the ego of Shaheen Afridi to ignite the fire inside him and that is why he ignored the bowler.
In fact, Afridi boldly said that if asked again, he would include Shaheen in his playing eleven to keep the internal fire alive, as Shaheen would not tolerate being sidelined and would fight hard.
Speaking on Pakistani news channel Sama, Shahid Afridi said, “Shaheen was not in my XI. And I knew how to get the best out of him. I tried to provoke him by making his father-in-law say what everyone else was saying (dropping him from the XI). I had to provoke him. And if anyone asks me about the next match, I will drop Shaheen for that game too and will not keep him in the team. “You kind of have to keep that fire burning inside them.”
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I told her to check her performance in her next game: Shahid on his daughter’s reaction
Afridi even told his daughter at home that once Shaheen Afridi feels this kind of pressure, he will respond strongly in his next match when she asked why he ignored the fast bowler, and that is exactly what happened. The great all-rounder said, “Some people need their ego hurt to feel angry. I know Shaheen’s mind very well.”
There will be people who will claim that I am making such a statement only after her good performance, but I had said the same thing to my daughter. I told him to check his performance in his next game, for whichever match he is called back. He will not be able to tolerate such an insult. You have to play with the minds of certain people and that’s exactly what I did. He has that quality; I have seen him fight back.
Shahid Afridi said, “I wanted Shaheen to be angry with me, even if you ask me again, I will drop him in the next match. Sometimes, to unleash a player’s full potential, you have to criticize him and break his ego. And it worked brilliantly.”pic.twitter.com/JhdrQ8Vt6L
-Salman. (@TsMeSalman) 25 February 2026