Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has finally ended the mystery around his age, revealing that he was born in 1975 and not 1980 as the official records state.
The revelations in his autobiography means that Afridi was not 16 when he smashed a record-breaking 37-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996.
"I was just nineteen, and not sixteen like they claim. I was born in 1975. So yes, the authorities stated my age incorrectly," Afridi has written in book titled Game Changer.
Afridi's claim that was he was 19 at that time is confusing as he would be 21 if he was born in 1975 like he has written.
He played 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20 Internationals.
The former captain, who retired from international cricket after the 2016 World T20, also slammed bowling great Waqar Younis in his book. Younis was the team's coach in the 2016 World T20 held in India.
"Unfortunately, he hadn't let go of the past. Waqar and I had a history, dating all the way back to his tiff with Wasim over the captaincy crown. He was a mediocre captain but a terrible coach, always micro-managing and getting in the way, trying to tell the captain me what to do.
“It was a natural clash and it was bound to happen," he wrote.
A still from Shirley Valentine
Mina Anwar