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A mistranslated viral Instagram post has now fueled speculation that star Afghanistan batter Rahmat Shah is no more.
The Instagram post was made by Shah's teammate, Pacer Karim Janat, with a picture of Rahmat. The caption he posted was in Pashto and was mistranslated before going viral on X and other social media.
Karim Janat's original post
In the late hours of Friday, Janat posted an image of Shah with a caption written in Pashto. Instagram's auto-translation feature seemed to get the wrong message and said that Rahmat had passed away, even though he was just 32.
View this post on Instagram
The post has now gone viral with the mistranslated version.
Rahmat Shah is alive
After a fact-check, it was found that Rahmat was indeed alive, and it was an error by Instagram's auto-translate feature.
"With great sadness, I heard the news of the passing of Rahmat Shah, the legendary player of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team. This great tragedy has deeply saddened me and all cricket fans. As a cricket player myself, I express my deepest sympathy and condolences to Rahmat Shah and his family. May Allah grant the deceased paradise, lighten his grave, and give his family the patience to bear this immense grief. Indeed, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return," the automated Instagram translation of Karim's post read.
It was clarified that while Rahmat himself was alive, it was his mother who had passed away. The corrected translation of Janat's post should read as follows:
"I heard the news of the death of the respected mother of Rahmat Shah, the talented player of the national cricket team. This great tragedy made me and all cricket fans very sad. On my own behalf and as a cricket player, I express my deepest sympathy and condolences to Rahmat Shah and his respected family. May Allah grant the deceased Paradise, fill her grave with light, and give her family patience to bear this great sorrow. Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return."
Fans ultimately were relieved that the confusion was erased, but tributes still poured in for Rahmat Shah's mother. People were also asked not to spread unverified misinformation on social media.
Afghanistan, Rahmat Shah, and Karim Janat's next match, and their career
Afghanistan's next assignment will be a one-off Test and three ODIs against India in June. The team is yet to announce its squad for this away series.
On the cricket front, Karim Janat has played 2 Tests, 3 ODIs, and 75 T20Is for Afghanistan. He has not taken any wickets in the longer formats, but has taken 42 wickets at an economy of 8.22 in T20Is while also making 759 runs. He last played for Afghanistan at the T20 Asia Cup in 2025.
Rahmat Shah has played 11 Tests, 125 ODIs, and 1 T20I for Afghanistan. In Tests, he has made 970 runs at an average of 46, and 4034 runs in ODIs at an average of 35.
Rahmat has not played any cricket since October 2025, when he was forced to retire hurt in an ODI against Bangladesh.
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