Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has debunked a viral story from the 2023 ODI World Cup that claimed Pakistan captain Babar Azam refused to be interviewed by him. Pathan clarified that the story was fabricated using a photoshopped image where his face was superimposed on a Bangladeshi reporter’s body.
Former India all-rounder turned commentator Irfan Pathan recalled a viral incident from the 2023 ODI World Cup where a fabricated news story claimed Pakistan captain Babar Azam had refused to be interviewed by him.
Pakistan travelled to India for the ODI World Cup for the first time since 2016, marking a highly anticipated return for the national team amidst intense media attention and massive public interest across the country. However, the Men in Green, led by Babar Azam, suffered an early exit from the tournament, failing to qualify for the semi-finals.
Babar had a good outing in the marquee event, amassing 320 runs, including 4 fifties, at an average of 40.00 in 9 matches, with his best performance coming against Afghanistan, scoring 74 in Chennai. However, Pakistan suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Afghanistan, marking one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
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‘The Trolling and Fake Attribution Happen Every Day’
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who was part of the commentary panel for the 2023 ODI World Cup, recalled how misinformation and social media manipulation can rapidly spiral out of control during major global sports events.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Irfan revealed that a fake story was pushed by a Pakistani media outlet, claiming that Babar Azam was approached by him for an interview only to be turned away because of alleged critical remarks.
“The media in our neighbouring country once ran a story claiming that I had gone to interview Babar Azam, and that he refused because, according to him, ‘He trolls our country, so I won’t give him an interview.’ It was a complete lie,” Pathan said.
“Someone had photoshopped my face onto a picture,” he added.
Irfan Pathan was referring to a fabricated story and the photoshopped image that falsely portrayed him as having approached Babar Azam for an interview during the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Pakistani media ran the news as if it were a genuine incident by using a digitally altered photograph to make the claim appear credible.
Irfan Pathan Clarified the Fake Image
Further speaking on the fake Babar Azam interview incident, Irfan Pathan clarified that the Pakistani media used a Bangladeshi reporter who had actually approached the Pakistan captain on the field, digitally pasting Pathan’s face over his body to manufacture the controversy. The former India all-rounder further added that he doesn’t feel the need to constantly respond to every piece of fake news because it would make it impossible to live a normal life.
“The person in the original image was a young Bangladeshi reporter who had gone to the ground for the first time and was refused an interview. They literally put my face on his body and spread the story. It got over a million views, and people believed it was me.” Irfan said.
“This happens every day, but I don’t respond. Every day, some lie is told in our name or about some player. If you keep responding to everyone, you won’t be able to live your life,” he added.
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Meanwhile, Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy duties after Pakistan’s early exit from the ODI World Cup 2023, before he was reinstated as a white-ball captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Then, Babar resigned from the white-ball leadership role for a second time in October 2024 and focused on his personal batting performance.
Now, Babar Azam was reappointed as Test captain and has Pakistan currently in the two-match series against the West Indies, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
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