Fact Check: Pakistani player cries in dressing room after losing to India in ICC Champions Trophy? Here’s what happened
A video claiming to show a Pakistani player breaking down in the dressing room after losing to India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is viral.
By M Ramesh Naik Published on 25 Feb 2025 4:28 PM IST
Claim: A Pakistani player broke down in the dressing room after losing to India in the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match.
Fact: The claim is misleading. The video shows Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman in tears after an injury ruled him out of the tournament.
Hyderabad: Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan cricket team crashed out of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 after New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by five wickets in their Group A encounter at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday. After losing to India in a do-or-die match in Dubai, Pakistan’s hopes of making it to the semifinals relied on Bangladesh pulling off an unlikely win against the dominant Kiwis.
Amid these developments in the ongoing tournament, a video surfaced on social media claiming that a Pakistani player was seen crying in the dressing room after losing to India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
In the video, a cricket player in a green jersey can be seen, still in the leg pads indoors, appearing emotional while his teammates console him.
An Instagram user shared the video with the caption, “Unseen scenes from the green room of the Pakistan team. One of the players can be seen crying over losing against India today!! This is kinda sad.”(Archive)
A text overlay on the video reads, “Team Pakistan crying post losing against India.”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The video shows Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman in tears after being ruled out of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to an injury.
A reverse image search of a keyframe from the viral clip led to an article published by Hindustan Times titled ‘Fakhar Zaman devastated, cries inconsolably, Shaheen helpless; heartbreaking scenes inside Pakistan dressing room’. It was dated February 21, 2025.
The article mentioned that Fakhar Zaman was inconsolable as he walked off the field after being dismissed during Pakistan’s opening match of the Champions Trophy against New Zealand.
A keyword search led us to a similar article published by Pakistan-based The Express Tribune on February 21, 2025, titled ‘WATCH: Fakhar Zaman in tears after Champions Trophy 2025 exit.’
The article stated that Fakhar Zaman injured himself while fielding in the first over of the match, falling awkwardly on the field. Following the injury, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that he was being evaluated for a muscular sprain.
Both articles contained screenshots of the viral video showing Fakhar Zaman being consoled by a teammate.
Despite the injury, the left-handed batter batted at number four but was dismissed for 24 runs off 41 balls, with Michael Bracewell taking his wicket.
We also found a post shared by Fakhar Zaman on X on February 20, 2025, about his exit from the tournament: “Representing Pakistan on the biggest stage is an honour and dream of every cricketer in this country. I have been privileged enough to represent Pakistan multiple times with pride. Unfortunately, I’m now out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but surely Allah is the best planner. Grateful for the opportunity. I will be backing our boys in green from home. This is only just the beginning; the comeback will be stronger than the setback. Pakistan Zindabad”
Therefore, the viral claim is misleading. The video does not show a Pakistani player crying in the dressing room after losing to India; rather, it captures Fakhar Zaman’s emotional moment after being ruled out of the tournament due to an injury.
