Shaheen Afridi, Sikandar Raza accused of security breach for “forcefully escorting” 4 visitors into hotel room

Fresh controversy hit the Pakistan Super League as Lahore Qalandars all-rounder Sikandar Raza and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi were accused of breaching hotel security protocols after four “unauthorised” visitors reportedly entered the team’s hotel room. According to a Punjab police letter sent to PSL CEO Salman Naseer, Raza and Afridi allegedly “forcibly escorted” the visitors despite prior refusals from security. Raza, however, has strongly refuted the allegations. He clarified that the four visitors were his long-time friends and family members, and that Afridi was only assisting him at his request. “Shaheen did not force anyone,” Raza told ESPNCricinfo. “My friends and family had come, and at my request, Shaheen helped them [come up to my room]. If these were the SOPs, I wasn’t aware, and to some extent, Shaheen was not aware either. The culprit here is me, not Shaheen. He went down on my request because it was my close family and friends; I did not want to meet them in the business centre. We sat upstairs for 40 minutes.” Raza also stressed the personal context, noting that he has known the visitors for 19 years and rarely sees his family and kids, who were also part of the group. “Please do not forget that my family and relatives live here, and I do not get to see them all year,” he said. He reiterated that Afridi merely followed his instructions and did not act independently. The police letter claimed that approval for the visitors had been sought from both the PCB security manager and Qalandars’ liaison officer, but these requests were denied. The letter suggested the refusals were ignored, and that the visitors stayed in the room for three hours, contradicting Raza’s account of a 40-minute meeting. Sources within the Lahore Qalandars largely confirmed the incident but denied any forced-entry occurred. PCB media head Umar Farooq confirmed that the board is aware of the incident and in communication with the PSL. The police have urged the PSL to review the matter and prevent similar incidents in the future.

Shadab Khan and Shahid Afridi (Agency Image)

Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, has taken a swipe at Shadab Khan following the all-rounder’s post-match comments, reminding him of the challenges of handling success. Afridi said that while former Pakistan players had struggled to defeat India in World Cups, Shadab’s team managed it in 2021.After Pakistan’s 102-run win over Namibia in Colombo in their Group A match of the 2026 T20 World Cup, the 27-year-old Shadab was asked about criticism from former stars like Afridi and Mohammad Yousuf. He reminded the media that he had been part of the side that beat India in the 2021 World Cup in Dubai.

Following Pakistan’s defeat to India earlier in the tournament on February 15, Afridi and Yousuf had suggested dropping Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Shadab in favour of giving youngsters a chance. But under Salman Ali Agha’s leadership, Pakistan bounced back emphatically against Namibia, securing a Super 8s berth.In the Namibia game, Shadab shone with an unbeaten 35 and picked up three wickets, producing a near-perfect all-round performance. Yet his comments at the post-match press conference have sparked criticism among former players.Afridi responded, saying: “Shadab was absolutely right when he said that we didn’t beat India in the World Cups, but his side did. They got respect after that, but they couldn’t handle it. By the respect thing, I mean that after they defeated India, they could not handle the issues between them. Shadab should also know that when he was not able to perform for the team, we guys stood up for him on national television, saying he is the backbone of the team.”“I know Shadab, he is a very good guy, he has always spoken to us respectfully. When people talked about us during our playing days, we always backed up our words with our actions on the field. Not against the smaller teams, we used to perform against the bigger teams,” Afridi added.The former captain urged Shadab to let his performance answer the critics during the upcoming Super 8s matches against New Zealand, England, and Sri Lanka. “So Shadab beta, aap bhi performance kariye. Beta performances karo. We stood by you in your difficult times; you didn’t play domestic cricket, yet you still got into the national team. If you want to answer us, then do it by performing on the field. Perform and let the World Cup get over, we will get quiet after that,” Afridi said.Pakistan will kick off their Super 8s campaign on Saturday against New Zealand at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.