 "Shaheen Afridi has defended under-fire Pakistan teammates Shahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf. Image: Reuters")
Senior Pakistan cricketer Shaheen Afridi has defended teammates Shahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf for making provocative gestures during the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match against India last Sunday. The videos of Shahibzada Farhan and Harris Rauf making ‘insensitive’ gestures during the match are going viral on social media platforms.
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While Shahibzada Farhan did a ‘firing gun’ celebration after scoring his fifty in the match that Pakistan lost by six wickets to India, Haris Rauf was seen consistently making the ‘6-0’ gesture in front of Indian fans, seemingly indicating that Pakistan shot down six Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, a claim that has not been proven yet.
Shaheen Afridi defends ‘insensitive’ Pak celebrations, dares India
Both players have faced criticism from fans and experts for adding more vitriol to an already provocative atmosphere, as relations between India and Pakistan have reached an all-time low since the Pahalgam terror attack.
Coming out in support of Farhan and Rauf, the 25-year-old Shaheen Afridi said players have a right to express themselves the way they want. He added that despite all the noise around the celebrations, Pakistan is firmly focussed on winning the Asia Cup 2025.
“Look, our job is to play cricket. Honestly, everyone has the right to express the way they want to,” Afridi said.
“Everyone has their own respect. Everyone thinks the way they think. But our job is to play cricket. We have come to win the Asia Cup. And we as a team, are doing our best,” he added.
On the possibility of another India vs Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2025 final and their poor record against the Men In Blue, Afridi said that they can beat any team, not just India.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“They have not reached the final yet. We will see when they reach the final,” Afridi said. “We have come here to win the final and win the Asia Cup.
“We are ready for any team that comes. We will defeat them. Yes, we haven’t won against big teams. You can say that we have grown in the rankings. But when you play against big teams, you win. The teams that are coming now, we are competing against them.”