Pakistan: A viral video circulating on social media has falsely claimed that former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has passed away, sending shockwaves across the cricketing world. The video, which claims that Afridi was buried in Karachi and includes supposed condolence messages from public figures, has been confirmed to be fake and generated using artificial intelligence.
Afridi, who has made headlines recently for his controversial anti-India remarks during Operation Sindoor, is reportedly healthy and very much alive. The viral misinformation appears to be a deliberate hoax.
Notably, the Indian government had previously taken action against several Pakistani cricketers and public figures including Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar by banning their social media accounts due to inflammatory content.
Afridi retired from international cricket in 2017. During his career, he represented Pakistan in all three formats, scoring over 11,000 runs and taking 541 wickets. He also holds the record for hitting the most sixes in ODI history (351), though India’s Rohit Sharma is currently just seven sixes behind.
This incident highlights the growing threat of AI-generated fake news and the importance of verifying information before sharing it on social platforms.
