'Malik replied, kar de': Shahid Afridi lifts lid on pitch-tampering controversy vs England

Former Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi has spoken out about the 2005 pitch-tampering incident that led to his suspension from one Test match and two ODIs. Afridi has admitted guilt to using his boots to damage the field during a 2005 Test match against England. Afridi admitted to damaging the field with his boots after discussing it with his former teammate Shoaib Malik. The 42-year-old claimed that he took advantage of a cylinder explosion while tampering with the pitch because everyone was paying attention to it.

Afridi claimed that the Faislabad pitch lacked swing and spin and that the game was becoming monotonous, which is why he chose to create a patch on the surface to produce some turn. He claimed that everyone was diverted when the gas cylinder explosion occurred, and he used the opportunity to tamper with the pitch. Afridi claimed Malik advised him to act swiftly since no one was watching.

"It was a good series. That Test was in Faislabad. Believe me, it was a Test and the ball was neither turning, nor it was getting any swing or seam. It was getting quite boring. I was applying my full force and nothing was happening. Then suddenly, a gas cylinder exploded and everyone got distracted. I told Malik, 'Mera dil chaah raha hai main idhar patch bana du. Ball toh turn ho!' (I want to create a patch on this pitch so badly. I want the ball to turn!),” Afridi said on Samaa TV.

"Shoaib Malik replied, 'Kar de. Koi nai dekh raha' (Do it, no one is watching). So I did that! And then, what happened is history. When I look back at it, you do realise it was a mistake,” Afridi said with a smile on his face.

Afridi's career

Afridi made his international debut for Pakistan in 1996. He represented his country in 27 Tests, 398 ODIs, and 99 T20 Internationals. The all-rounder scored 1716 runs in red-ball cricket, 8064 runs in the 50-over format, and 1416 runs in T20Is at averages of 36.51, 23.57, and 17.92, respectively. Afridi also picked 541 wickets across formats for Pakistan. He has 48 wickets in Tests, 395 in ODIs, and 98 wickets in the shortest format of the game. 

Image: AP