Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi is celebrating his birthday on March 1. He also thanked his fans for their wishes. But as all know when there is Afridi, there’s a debate.

Afridi took to Twitter and thanked his fans. Afridi said he had turned 44 on Monday but his official records show different age.

"Thank you very much for all the lovely birthday wishes - 44 today! My family and my fans are my biggest assets. Really enjoying my stint with Multan and hope to produce match winning performances for all MS (Multan Sultans) fans," tweeted Afridi.

In his autobiography "Game Changer", which was released in April 2019, Afridi had said that he was born in 1975 as opposed to 1980 which is what was written in the official records. It meant that he was above "19" when he hit a record 37-ball century against Sri Lanka in 1996 and not 16, which is what his official age was. However, he had confused fans then as well as he would have been at least 20 in 1996 if he was born in 1975.

"For the record, I was 19, and not just 16 like they claim. I was born in 1975. So, yes, the authorities stated my age incorrectly," Afridi said in his autobiography.

According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), he was born on March 1, 1980, which means he is 41 now. However, the star's tweet led to a wide range of reactions on social media. A few on Twitter pointed out the discrepancy.

"44? You sure Lala? HBD! (You still don't exist to me in the universe outside cricket .. but absolutely love you on the field!)," said one user.

(With inputs from IANS)