Fans all over the world are wishing Shahid Afridi on his birthday. But there’s a big question that needs to be answered. Is Afridi’s age 41 or 44? The Pakistan all-rounder thanked people for wishing him on his 44 birthday but Wikipedia and other sports websites still show his age as 41. So what is the truth?
If Afridi says his age is 44 then we have no option, but to believe him. Stats guru, Mohandas Menon was quick to realize this confusion about Afridi’s age. He wrote: “We can now officially change Shahid Afridi's DOB to 1 Mar 1977 from 1 Mar 1980. This means Afghanistan's Usman Ghani (17y-242d) is now the youngest to score an ODI 100 (in July 2014). Afridi in Oct 1996 was 19y-217d (& not 16y-217d) when he made the famous 37-ball 100 at Nairobi.”
Netizens have always questioned Afridi on his age, there’s nothing new. Actually, in the 90s there was an unsaid phenomenon in Pakistan to show reduced age as it helped players to participate in U19, U16 and other such age-bound competitions. Afridi also seems to stem from the same generation of players, thus the confusion regarding his age.
hahid Afridi took to Twitter to wish his fans. He wrote: "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."
It has to be noted that Afridi declared in 2019 that he was 19 when he made his debut and not 16 as it is believed. "I was just nineteen, and not sixteen like they claim. I was born in 1975. So yes, the authorities stated my age incorrectly," Afridi wrote in the book 'Game Changer.'
Look at some hilarious reactions by fans on Twitter:
But as one fan wrote on Twitter “age is just a number” for Afridi. We wish Shahid Afridi ‘Lala’ a very Happy Birthday.