Pakistan cricketer Saud Shakeel has addressed the controversy surrounding a video clip that seemingly captured a verbal spat with former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed during the Test series against Australia.

During the aforementioned series in December 2023, a video captured their argument emerged on a YouTube channel, unveiling a discussion between the two players from Karachi.

“For how long will I continue to be of use to you?” Shakeel questioned.

Sarfaraz retorted, stating, “You won’t be of any use to me. To begin with, I never instructed you to do anything. I never requested you to make a swap. I swapped with the person I intended to.”

Shakeel countered, saying, “You still made the swap, so I was beneficial to you.”

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In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Shakeel clarified that the video had been edited in a misleading manner, emphasizing that the interaction was actually a friendly exchange and not a serious altercation.

“The video was edited in such a way that it appears we are having a fight, although at that time we were joking, he is like my elder brother, and we cannot have a fight like it seems in the edited video. Our relationship is like that of brothers, and the way the video is edited to create a misleading impression, nothing like that actually happened,” Saud Shakeel said.

The middle-order batter also addressed comments made by former captain Babar Azam, who referred to him as ‘chota don.’

 “If Babar Azam is calling me ‘chota don’, he must be saying it with some thought and understanding. When spending time with him, it’s a good opportunity to learn. I have gained a lot from him; he is the world’s best batsman, so there is a lot to learn from him,” he said.

Looking ahead, Saud Shakeel shared his commitment to delivering top-notch performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and other matches, with the primary goal of contributing to his team’s success.

“I have always believed that if I play in the PSL or any other match, my goal will be to give my best performance so that my team wins. Whenever I play, I will strive to deliver a good performance to help our team win the match,” Saud said.