Cricketer caught in hotel with girls, at the age of 20 his family got him married to his cousin, today father of 5 daughters

New Delhi. Shahid Afridi, known as the ‘Boom-Boom’ of Pakistan cricket, was more famous for his stormy batting than he was for his controversies. In the initial phase of his career, during the year 2000, the incident of being caught with girls in a hotel in Karachi had shaken the entire cricket world. This ‘shameful’ scandal not only got him banned, but also changed the direction of his personal life. To teach discipline, his family married him to his cousin Nadia at the age of just 20.

This is the story of the year 2000, when Shahid Afridi’s career graph was going up rapidly, but a ‘shameful’ incident tarnished his reputation. The Pakistan team was to play a tri-series in Singapore, in which the third team was South Africa and New Zealand. The team was preparing for departure, but what happened in a hotel in Karachi just one night before take-off surprised everyone. Shahid Afridi, along with his two teammates Atiq uz Zaman and Hasan Raza, was staying in a hotel in Karachi. Then news came that these three players were found with some girls in a hotel room. This news spread like wildfire and within no time it became a national scandal. This was a big blow for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which was strict in terms of discipline.

Autograph excuse and PCB hunter
When the matter reached the board, all three players were produced. Afridi clarified that he was innocent and was being implicated. His argument was that the girls had come to our room only to get autographs and we had no wrong relationship with them. However, the PCB was not satisfied with his argument. Considering the seriousness of the matter and indiscipline, the board took a tough stance. Shahid Afridi was fined heavily and banned from the ICC Champions Trophy. Besides, a fine of Rs 50,000 was also imposed on him. The careers of Atiq uz Zaman and Hasan Raza were derailed after this incident, but Afridi was successful in making a comeback due to his popularity.

Father’s scolding and decision of marriage
Shahid Afridi, who used to thrash the bowlers on the field, was very scared in his home. After this incident his family had to face a lot of embarrassment. Afridi himself later admitted in an interview that his father was very angry with this incident. The elders of the house decided that the only way to reform this ‘spoilt’ boy was marriage. Without wasting any time, his family arranged a match for Afridi. Interestingly, this relationship was not finalized anywhere else but with his maternal uncle’s daughter Nadia.

Married to my cousin at the age of 20
At the age of just 20, when cricketers dream of touching the heights of their careers, Afridi had to tie the knot. The family took this hasty step to avoid rebuke from family members and criticism from society. Afridi and Nadia got married on 21 October 2000. Shahid Afridi later told that he had never seen his wife before marriage, although she was his maternal uncle’s daughter. It was completely an arranged marriage, which was seen as ‘damage control’ of a dispute. Afridi is the father of five daughters. He married the elder girl to Shaheen Afridi.

Journey from controversies to comeback
Although this incident had a deep impact on Afridi’s image, he did not let it become his weakness. After marriage, his life came to a standstill and he again showed the same aggression on the cricket field. Afridi played 398 ODI matches for Pakistan and scored more than 8,000 runs and also took 395 wickets.