KARACHI, May 05 (AFP): When Pakistan's Shahid Afridi smashed a 37-ball century against Sri Lanka in 1996, he not only registered the fastest-ever one-day ton, he also became the youngest player to score 100 runs in an international.
In a new autobiography, the fiery all-rounder says he was aged 19 when he blasted onto the world stage with his record-breaking innings, and not 16 as history suggests.
"For the record, I was just nineteen, and not sixteen like they claim," he writes in "Game Changer", which went on sale this week.
"I was born in 1975. So, yes, the authorities stated my age incorrectly."
Confusingly, if he was born in 1975, it would mean he was either 20 or 21 at the time.
Wisden, the sport's recognised almanac, still lists Afridi as the youngest player to score a one-day ton-aged 16 years and 217 days-but his fastest-century record lasted until 2014 when it was eclipsed by New Zealander Corey Anderson, and by South African AB de Villiers a year later. Cricket experts and fans have long questioned the purported ages of various Asian players-particularly in junior competitions-and Afridi's revelation will only fuel the controversy.
In the weeks leading up to his record-breaking Pakistan debut, Afridi had been playing in an international under-19 tournament in the West Indies. Pakistan cricket authorities claimed Hasan Raza was 14 years old when he made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in 1996, but Wisden doesn't recognise that claim.
The age controversy is just one of many in Afridi's book, in which he lays into former team mates with no holds barred-calling Javed Miandad, Pakistan's most successful Test batsman, "a small man".
