Fact Check: Babar Azam heckled during India-Pak Champions Trophy cricket match in Dubai? No, video is from 2024
A viral video shows Pakistani cricketer Babar Azam being allegedly insulted from the stands during the India-Pakistan match played on February 23.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows the audience insulting Babar Azam during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 ODI cricket match between India and Pakistan on February 23.
Fact:The claim is misleading. The viral video is from the Pakistan-Australia T20 match on November 16, 2024.
Hyderabad: India secured a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, successfully chasing down 242 runs with Virat Kohli scoring an unbeaten 100 at the Dubai International Stadium on February 23. Pakistan had set a target of 241, with Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel contributing 62 runs. This victory strengthens India’s prospects of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, after Pakistan’s drubbing, a video is circulating on social media allegedly showing the audience in the stands hurling insults at Pakistani player Babar Azam while he was fielding near the boundary. The video is being shared with the claim suggesting that Azam faced humiliation during the India-Pakistan Champions Trophy match on February 23.
In the video, fans can be heard shouting, “Babar, have some shame! You don’t deserve a place in T20—go back to Lahore.” Babar turns around and stares at the spectators, who react to his gaze, though their response is unclear due to poor audio quality.
An X user shared the video using the hashtag ‘#INDvsPAK’ and captioned it, “Babar Azam was being insulted a lot by Pakistani fans.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video was shot during a T20 match between Pakistan and Australia in November 2024.
One of the first indicators that the video was not shot at Sunday’s match was that the hecklers criticised Babar Azam’s place in T20 cricket, while the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is played in the ODI format.
Additionally, the presence of a big screen in the stadium with ‘Sydney Cricket Ground’ written on it further confirmed that the video is not from the India-Pakistan ODI match on February 23, 2025, which was played at the Dubai International Stadium.
Based on these clues, we conducted a keyword search and found an NDTV report published on November 17, 2024, titled “Babar Azam Told ‘You Don't Deserve a Place in the T20I Team’ By Fan. His Reaction Is Viral.”
According to the report, Babar Azam faced criticism from fans during Pakistan’s T20I series loss to Australia, following his poor performances with the bat. He managed just three runs in both the first and second T20Is, sparking doubts about his place in the T20I squad.
During the match in Sydney, while fielding near the boundary, Babar was subjected to taunts and insults from a group of spectators. In a viral video, one fan can be heard telling him to ‘go back to Lahore,’ questioning his place in Pakistan’s T20I team.
The report also featured the same viral video posted by an X user on November 17, 2024.
According to Cricbuzz, Pakistan toured Australia in November 2024 for a three-match ODI and T20I series. While Pakistan won the ODI series 2-1, they were washed away in a 3-0 loss in the T20I series. The viral video is from the T20 match played at Sydney Cricket Ground on November 16, 2024.
Therefore, we conclude that the video of fans hurling insults at Babar Azam is not from the India-Pakistan ODI cricket match played on February 23, 2025. The claim is misleading.
