A Pakistani lawyer on Monday served a legal notice to cricketer Shahid Afridi for "committing treason" and "hurting sentiments" of the country's citizens, a day after the 36-year-old said his team was "loved more in India than in Pakistan". Senior lawyer Azhar Saddique told PTI that he has written to Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shahryar Khan to launch an inquiry into the matter. He also said that the PCB should investigate the role of executive committee head Najam Sethi "as he might have pushed Afridi to speak in favour of India".

Saddique said, "Afridi has let down the whole Pakistani nation for expressing more love for India than Pakistan. In fact, he has committed treason. Now who will ensure that [the] Pakistani team will play against India in Kolkata in [the] T20 match to win?" He said if Pakistan loses the upcoming World Twenty20 match against India, nobody in the country will forgive the team's captain for his statement. The high-profile match will be played at Eden Gardens on March 19.

Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad also criticised Afridi for his comment and said players making such statements should be ashamed of themselves. Miandad told the Aaj TV channel that he was shocked and hurt by the statement. However, senior Board of Control for Cricket in India official Rajiv Shukla told ANI, "It is ridiculous that people in Pakistan are behaving in such a fashion. In India, people praise [the] performance of players. That is the culture of India. People [in Pakistan] should not mind."