Shahid Afridi hits back at Irfan Pathan over viral 'dog meat' remark: 'I think he's trying to prove...'

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi hit back at Irfan Pathan over the latter’s “dog meat” remark, labelling his claims as fabricated and also questioning the ex-India all-rounder intentions. Speaking on Lallantop, Pathan had claimed to have shut Afridi up in a flight during India’s 2006 tour of Pakistan by asking Abdul Razzaq, the latter’s teammate, if the consumption of “dog meat” was the reason for him constantly barking at him.

The former India cricketer had also taken offence to Afridi’s remarks in an old interview with renowned broadcaster Harsha Bhogle in which he dismissed him as a “fake Pathan” for not being able to speak Pashto, and generally described him as “ill-mannered”.

Afridi challenges Pathan to a one-on-one interaction

Not only did Afridi deny those claims, he also challenged Pathan to a face-to-face interaction instead of making such remarks to the media.

“Main usko mard manta hu jo samne khara hoke baat kare. Peeth peeche itni baat karni hain, lekin manu usko hi jo samne aake baat kare. Phir maza ayega na, jawab bhi de sake banda. (I consider someone a man who has the ability to say something to one’s face. Anyone can talk behind the back, but I only like to face those who can talk in front of me. Wouldn’t it be fun when a person can respond to such comments right away),” Afridi said on Samaa TV in response to Pathan’s viral comment.

Also Read | Afridi’s former teammate backs Pathan after ex-Pakistan captain is called ‘badtameez’

Afridi went to the extent of claiming that Pathan was only trying to prove his patriotism before the Indian public with such comments.

“I think he’s trying to prove that he is a great Indian and how I’m against Pakistanis. Poor guy, he’ll spend his entire life proving how great of an Indian he is,” he added.

Afridi is known for being quite the loose cannon when it comes to making public statements, having openly mocked the Indian armed forces in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year as well as in the ensuring four-day conflict.

More recently, he had accused the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team of lacking “sportsman spirit” after they refused to shake hands with the Pakistan team following their Asia Cup Group A clash in Dubai, going to the extent of claiming they the Men in Blue were acting on “orders from up above”.