Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi and Javed Miandad have put an end to their much-publicised verbal spat and have apologised to each other on Saturday.
It all started when Miandad made a jibe on Afridi's request for a farewell Twenty20 match ahead of the ongoing West Indies series saying the explosive right-hander was motivated by money. The 36-year-old, who retired from One Day International cricket in 2015, reacted to the comment by adding the veteran cricketer "always faced money issues."
"That's the difference between Imran Khan and Javed Miandad," Afridi had said, according to Geo TV.
The verbal altercation did not end there as an enraged Miandad reportedly claimed Afridi was involved in match-fixing and asked him to "swear upon his children" that "he has not thrown away Pakistan's matches".
Afridi was also considering legal options against Miandad, who had represented Pakistan in 124 Tests and 233 ODIs, according to reports.
Following the ugly spat, Pakistan cricket fraternity, including legendary all-rounders Imran Khan and Wasim Akram voiced their views against the behaviour of two "respected cricketers" in the country.
Javed Bhai & Shahid mean a lot to me & to Pakistan. It's really sad to see what's happening between them. InshAllah it will be over soon
— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) October 11, 2016
The stones being thrown between 2 very respected cricketers calls for quick resolve by appropriate mediation instead of this unwanted chaos
— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) October 11, 2016
The tension between the two escalated when underworld don reportedly interfered in the issue and asked Afridi to "either shut up or face the consequences". The hard-hitting batsman also considered legal options against Miandad, sources claimed.
However, the two cricketers seemed to have buried their hatchet after meeting at a common friend's place. They were also seen offering sweets and apologising to each other in a video circulated on Facebook.
"Afridi is like a younger brother. And I have already stated that everything is finished from my side. A lot of things happen in the heat of the moment. And I know that Afridi is still unhappy with a few things I said but I take all my words back," Miandad was quoted as saying in the video by The Express Tribune.
"I never wanted you to say sorry to me because you [Miandad] are elder to me. You have taken your words back and that is enough for me and all my fans. I am also sorry for all things that I said and that might have hurt you," Afridi had replied.
