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Former Team India all-rounder Irfan Pathan spoke out against the 'fake news' that directed harsh comments across social media platforms towards him. It was alleged that Pathan, who played Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is for the India National Cricket Team, had hurt the fans through ill intent.
Irfan Pathan, however, stated in his support that those social media posts, which have dented his reputation recently, are not real. The former cricketer urged all of his followers through a social media post not to believe any of the claims or reports that are not coming straight from his mouth.
Fake news is being circulated using my name: Irfan Pathan
The 41-year-old, in his official social media post shared on Instagram, claims that fake news has been circulating using his identity to gain views. He requested all of his followers not ot trust or share any of these kinds of claims that are directly from him.
"Fake news is being circulated using my name, without any proof, simply to gain views. I urge everyone not to believe or share it. If the news is not coming directly from me, kindly do not trust it," Pathan said in a statement.
Never, ever spoken ill of any faith: Irfan Pathan
Further in his clarifications, Irfan Pathan wrote that he never ever spoke anything to hurt anyone's faith.
"I have never, ever spoken ill of any faith, let alone my own. I strongly urge everyone to verify the facts before believing or spreading such false claims," he added.
Irfan Pathan is currently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) to represent the India Champions. The tournament itself attracted a series of controversies because of the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) stance. According to media reports, the Mohsin Naqvi-led cricket board denied No Objection Certificates to their players for the league as they made some demands.
Controversy in World Championship of Legends
Media reports suggested that the Pakistan Cricket Board wanted an apology from the Indian cricketers in the league for boycotting the match against Pakistan Champions in the previous edition. Indian cricketers did not take the field against Pakistan Champions in the previous season in protest of the deadly terror attack in Pehalgam. Since the terrorist attack, the Indian cricketers have been maintaining a distance from their arch rivals, Pakistan.
Snubbing the traditional handshake before and after the match is among the most talked-about actions taken by the Indian cricketers. While the national cricket teams, including both the men's and women's teams, snubbed the ceremonial handshakes during the matches, the players of the India Champions team boycotted the match entirely.
Later, PCB reportedly issued the NOC to all of their players in the team, but as the WCL organizers did not approve PCB's demands, Pakistan pulled their team off the tournament. WCL, in its official statement, confirmed that Pakistan Champions would not be a part of the tournament this season, and the tournament would run with the rest of the six teams.
