Monday, 25 August, 2025
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has recounted a heated mid-air exchange with Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi during the 2006 tour of Pakistan, claiming his sharp retort silenced the flamboyant batter.
The incident occurred on a flight from Karachi to Lahore when both teams were travelling together.
Pathan said Afridi began mocking him by ruffling his hair, calling him “kid” and making disparaging comments that left him irritated, reported NDTV.
Sitting near Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, Pathan asked about local food and whether “dog meat” was eaten in Pakistan. Turning to Afridi, he then delivered the cutting remark: “He has eaten dog meat; he has been barking for so long.”
Pathan, speaking in an interview cited by NDTV, said Afridi was stunned and fell silent for the rest of the flight.
“After this, Afridi could not say anything. If he had, I would have said, ‘Look, he is barking again',” Pathan recalled.
“He understood then that he would not be able to fight me verbally. That is why he never said anything to me again.”
The fiery exchange reflected the intense rivalry between the two cricketers. Pathan dismissed Afridi 11 times across international formats, making him one of the Pakistani star’s most frequent adversaries.
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Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has recounted a heated mid-air exchange with Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi during the 2006 tour of Pakistan, claiming his sharp retort silenced the flamboyant batter.
The incident occurred on a flight from Karachi to Lahore when both teams were travelling together.
Pathan said Afridi began mocking him by ruffling his hair, calling him “kid” and making disparaging comments that left him irritated, reported NDTV.
Sitting near Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, Pathan asked about local food and whether “dog meat” was eaten in Pakistan. Turning to Afridi, he then delivered the cutting remark: “He has eaten dog meat; he has been barking for so long.”
Pathan, speaking in an interview cited by NDTV, said Afridi was stunned and fell silent for the rest of the flight.
“After this, Afridi could not say anything. If he had, I would have said, ‘Look, he is barking again',” Pathan recalled.
“He understood then that he would not be able to fight me verbally. That is why he never said anything to me again.”
The fiery exchange reflected the intense rivalry between the two cricketers. Pathan dismissed Afridi 11 times across international formats, making him one of the Pakistani star’s most frequent adversaries.
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