Afridi creates more confusion on his age with tweet

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is celebrating his birthday on March 1 and has thanked fans for their wishes.

Afridi said that his family and fans are his 'biggest assets' in the tweet while being grateful for the wishes. But it is the first part of the tweet that has caught the attention of the cricket world.

"Thank you very much for all the lovely birthday wishes - 44 today! My family and my fans are my biggest assets," Afridi said.

Afridi's age has been a hot topic in the cricket circles since his debut.

He confirmed that he turned 44 on Monday but according to official International Cricket Council (ICC) records, it still shows 41.

And that part was picked up by Pakistan journalist Danyal Rasool as he commented on the age issue. "Happy birthday to Shahid Afridi. We have his age @ESPNcricinfo as 41, his autobiography says 46, and now we have 44!" he wrote.

In 2019, Afridi revealed his real age in his autobiography titled 'Game Changer'. According to a report in ESPN Cricinfo, Afridi wrote in his book that he was born in 1975 and not 1980 as per the official records.

This means that the 37-ball century — which he hit against Sri Lanka as a 16-year-old — actually came when he was 20-years-old.

Blaming the authorities for getting his age wrong back in the day, Afridi created more confusion by stating he was 19 at the time. If Afridi was born in 1975, then he should be 20 in 1996, when he hit the whirlwind knock against Sri Lanka. But the former all-rounder writes in his book that he was 19.

"Also, for the record, I was just nineteen, and not sixteen as they claim. I was born in 1975. So, yes, the authorities stated my age incorrectly," Afridi was quoted as writing in his book by ESPN Cricinfo.