Shahid Afridi, born Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi, is a former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. The all-rounder was a right-handed leg spinner and batsman. Known for his immense contribution to Pakistani cricket, he was an inspiration to several upcoming sportspersons in the country. However, the sudden news of his demise left the entire cricket community in shock.
The truth about Shahid Afridi’s death news circulating on the internet
It was on June 7, 2025, when a viral video started circulating on social media claiming that the former cricket captain, Shahid Afridi, had passed away. However, it was later revealed that the video was false. The clip that claimed that Shahid had passed away and was buried in Karachi also included supposed condolence messages from public figures. Soon after the news went viral, several media reports confirmed that the news was fake and was generated using artificial intelligence. The cricketer is reportedly healthy and very much alive. The viral misinformation appears to be a deliberate hoax.
Shahid Afridi had previously been in the headlines for his anti-India remarks
Shahid Afridi made it into the headlines for his controversial anti-India remarks after India’s precision strike, ‘Operation Sindoor’. Additionally, the Indian government has taken several serious actions against Pakistani cricketers and public figures, including Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar. Taking into account the heated situation between the two countries and Pakistan and its citizens’ comments about India, the government banned their social media accounts due to inflammatory content.
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Shahid Afridi’s journey as a cricketer
Shahid Afridi made his ODI debut in 1996 against Kenya. During his second ODI match against Sri Lanka, he played his first international innings and broke the record for the fastest century in ODI cricket by hitting a ton in 37 balls. He made his Test debut in 1998 against Australia and his T20I debut against England in 2006. In 2010, he was appointed the captain of ODI cricket but was removed from the position in 2011. In 2015, he retired from ODI cricket. However, it was after Pakistan’s group-stage elimination from the 2016 T20 World Cup that Shahid Afridi stepped down from captaincy.
By February 2017, he announced his retirement from international cricket but returned to cricket to represent and captain the World XI against the West Indies in the 2018 Hurricane Relief T20 Challenge charity match. After the match, he finally hung his cap. On the personal front, the cricketer is married to his maternal cousin, Nadia Afridi and has five daughters. In 2021, he announced the engagement of his daughter Ansha to cricketer, Shaheen Afridi and on February 3, 2023, the couple got married in a nikah ceremony and welcomed their first child in 2024.
The fake news of Shahid Afridi has once highlighted the growing threat of AI-generated fake news and the importance of verifying information before sharing it on social platforms. What are your thoughts on it? Let us know.
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