Shahid Afridi confuses one and all with yet another age reveal; contradicts even himself

One of Pakistan's most successful and controversial all-rounders - Shahid Afridi is celebrating his birthday on Monday. There has been always a mystery around his age ever since he made his debut for Pakistan in 1996. Once again, questions have been raised as Afridi tweeted on Monday that he has turned 44, either ending the debate on the topic or breathing fresh life into it.

What is Afridi's real age?

"Thank you very much for all the lovely birthday wishes – 44 today! My family and my fans are my biggest assets. Really enjoying my stint with Multan and hope to produce match-winning performances for all MS fans," he tweeted. Now, according to Wikipedia and several other websites, Afridi was born in 1980 and he would turn 41, whereas, in his autobiography, he was born in 1975 so he would turn 46 this year. 

In 2019, the former Pakistan captain 'ended' the mystery around his age, revealing that he was born in 1975 and not 1980 as the official records state. The revelations in his autobiography mean that Afridi was not 16 when he smashed a 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 the book titled 'Game Changer’. Afridi’s claim that was he was 19 at that time is confusing as he would be 21 if he was born in 1975 like he has written. He played 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20 Internationals.

The debate over the age of Pakistani players has been ongoing for some time now and extends beyond Afridi. A number of pacers in the current team are said to be older than the age mentioned in official PCB records by 2-3 years in some cases, as per former Pakistani players who were nonetheless contemporaries of Afridi.

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Here is how the netizens reacted:

Last week, Shahid Afridi expressed disappointment with the International Cricket Council (ICC) rule that bars umpires from taking caps from players during a match due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Afridi, who is playing for Multan Sultans in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, was not happy on Tuesday night when, during their match against Peshawar Zalmi, the umpires refused to take his cap when he came on to bowl.

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(With PTI inputs)