Babar Azam achieves significant rise in ICC rankings after being appointed captain

Former all-rounder for the Indian national team, Irfan Pathan, shared a shocking story related to fake news and trolling on social media. This incident occurred during the 2023 T20 World Cup and involved Pakistani captain Babar Azam.

Initially, a claim circulated based on a photograph that Irfan Pathan had arrived for an interview with the Pakistani captain, but Babar allegedly refused him the conversation. However, Pathan later explained that the photograph itself was fake, and the face in it had been photoshopped onto another person's body.

During a discussion on JioHotstar, Pathan noted that it has become common on social media to attribute false statements to someone's name and then spread them. Something similar happened to him, and millions of people accepted the fabricated story as truth.

According to Irfan Pathan, a media organization from Pakistan published a report about his attempt to interview Babar Azam. This story claimed that Babar refused him the interview, supposedly stating that Pathan was trolling Pakistan, so the interview would not take place.

Pathan categorically rejected this assertion, stating: 'The media of our neighboring country once published a news story that I came to interview Babar Azam, and he refused me, saying that I was trolling our country, so I wouldn't give him an interview. This is a complete lie.'

To lend credibility to this fake message, a specific photograph was used. Pathan clarified that the original picture featured a young Bangladeshi journalist who had come to the field for the first time to report and tried to speak with Babar Azam but did not get a chance to talk. Subsequently, manipulations were performed on the photograph, replacing the reporter's face with Irfan Pathan's face. Pathan reported that this edited photograph, along with the fictional story about Babar, was distributed on social media.

The incident was not limited to just a few social media posts. The fake photograph and invented story garnered over a million views, and a large number of people believed the statement without verifying its authenticity. Despite this, Pathan decided to refrain from immediate rebuttal. He believes it is impossible to respond to every false claim on social media.

He added: 'This happens every day, but I don't respond. Every day some lie is told about us or about any player. If you respond to everyone, you won't be able to live your life.'

Irfan Pathan demonstrated outstanding play against Pakistan. He was part of the Indian team that won the T20 Cup in 2007. In the final against Pakistan, he performed brilliantly as a bowler and was named 'Player of the Match'. Throughout his international career, Pathan accumulated 2821 runs and took 301 wickets. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he played in 103 matches, scoring 1139 runs and taking 80 wickets.

In the second and final match of the test series between West Indies and Pakistan, held at Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, the Pakistani team defeated the West Indies by eight wickets. The home team needed 75 runs to win, but the visitors managed to reach this target in 23.3 overs.

In the first innings, Abdullah Shafique scored a hundred, and in the second innings, he returned with 24 runs without being dismissed. Captain Babar Azam also scored 24 runs without being dismissed. Pakistan concluded the match in the first session of the fourth day (June 5).

The victory over the West Indies in the second Test allowed Pakistan not only to level the series at 1-1 but also to end a three-year wait for an away victory. This was Pakistan's first away win since July 2023, when the team beat Sri Lanka under the captaincy of Babar Azam. Following that, Pakistan lost eight consecutive away matches, but this victory finally stopped that embarrassing streak.

Significant changes have occurred in Pakistani cricket over the last three years: captains, coaches, and selection committees have changed, but the results remained the same. Babar Azam stepped down as captain twice, after which the leadership of the Test squad passed to Shan Masood. Under his leadership, Pakistan suffered crushing defeats against Australia (0-3), South Africa (0-2), and Bangladesh (0-2). After poor performances, Shan Masood was removed from the captaincy, and responsibility was once again placed on Babar Azam. Although his first return Test also ended in a defeat, in the second Test he managed to orchestrate a brilliant comeback for the team.

The hosts started the fourth day with a score of 103/6 but were unable to significantly increase their total. The West Indies team managed to score only 117 runs in the second innings. For Pakistan, spinners Sajid Khan and Ali Usman took four wickets each. In the second innings, the West Indies also felt the absence of batsman Brandon King, who could not play in the second innings due to a back injury sustained during fielding on the third day.

This victory not only saved Pakistan from a series loss but also temporarily calmed the questions raised regarding Babar Azam's captaincy. After eight consecutive away losses, the pressure of criticism on Pakistan intensified. However, the victory achieved in Port-of-Spain gave the team new hope.

West Indies: First Innings - 344, Second Innings - 117

Target: 75

Pakistan: First Innings - 387, Second Innings - 77/2