Khushdil Shah dismisses reports of leaving Pakistan cricket as completely untrue

Khushdil Shah has dismissed speculation about his departure from Pakistan cricket, terming the reports as fake news and completely untrue. The all-rounder's clarification came after a two-month-old interview resurfaced on Friday, in which fellow national cricketer Abbas Afridi claimed Shah had told him he possessed only around four months remaining in his career and would need to step away from Pakistan if he did not receive a national team call-up within that timeframe.

Shah, who made his international debut in November 2019, has represented the Men in Green across 15 ODIs and 38 T20Is. He has aggregated 328 runs at an average of 32.80 and picked up four wickets in ODIs. Meanwhile, in the shortest format, he has scored 434 runs at a strike rate of 104.08 and bagged six wickets.

His last appearance for the Green Shirts came at the T20 Asia Cup in 2025, where he featured in one group-stage match against the United Arab Emirates and scored four runs before failing to retain his spot in the playing XI for the remainder of the tournament.

Shah's clarification emphasised his emotional and professional connection to representing Pakistan at the international level. The all-rounder stressed that his commitment to the national team remains unwavering despite his recent absence from the squad.

"There's fake news going around claiming I'm leaving Pakistan cricket and it's completely untrue," Shah wrote in a story shared on his Instagram handle.

"Pakistan is my home, and representing this country has always been my top priority and greatest [honour]," he added.

Since his last appearance at the Asia Cup, Shah has remained absent from Pakistan's national team setup. The 31-year-old's statement on Friday addressed the growing speculation on social media platforms, where the resurfaced interview had prompted widespread discussion about his future in international cricket.

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"Please don't believe these baseless [rumours]. My commitment to Pakistan cricket has never changed and never will," the Bannu-born signed off.