WI vs PAK 2025: PCB dismisses rumours of Shaheen Afridi’s rift with captain Salman Agha, coach Mike Hesson

The Pakistan Cricket Board has labelled the alleged rift between Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Ali Agha, and Mike Hesson as “baseless, fabricated and defamatory”. The board also clarified that strict legal action would be taken against the concerned individuals for spreading misinformation.

Earlier, a social media post alleging Hesson and Agha to be dissatisfied with Afridi’s attitude was widely circulated. The matter was escalated to the PCB chairperson Mohsin Naqvi and the board has denied all the reports as false.

“The PCB affirms that no such incident has occurred at any point during training or practice sessions. These malicious rumours are entirely fictitious and appear to have been deliberately concocted with clear malafide intent to sow discord within the national squad,” stated the PCB in an official statement, as quoted by India Today.

“The PCB considers this a serious and premeditated defamation campaign, which is aimed at damaging the professional integrity of the individuals targeted and the collective environment of the squad,” the statement continued. Any persons found complicit in propagating these claims will be held fully accountable under applicable laws,” it further read.

The board called for restraint and appealed to media outlets to use their discretion while circulating news.

“The PCB remains committed to protecting its players, staff, and the sanctity of the national team from unwarranted and harmful speculation,” it added.

Pakistan are scheduled to play three T20Is followed by as many ODIs against West Indies. The Agha-led unit won the first T20I by 14 runs as Saim Ayub starred with both bat (57 off 38) and ball (2/20 in two overs).

Pakistan are coming off a 2-1 series loss to Bangladesh in the recently-concluded T20I series. It was the first time they had lost a 20-over series against The Tigers.