Pakistan all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed strongly reacts to false tweet mocking Team India, urges account ban for ‘promoting hatred’

Pakistan cricketer Iftikhar Ahmed has strongly reacted to a fake tweet attributed to him, in which he allegedly remarked that playing against India is like playing with street children. The all-rounder hit out at the verified X user (formerly known as Twitter) for inciting hatred among fans, saying no professional cricketer would make such a statement. Iftikhar also tagged X CEO Elon Musk and urged him to ban the account for spreading hate.

The fabricated quote shared alongside a picture of Iftikhar batting against India read, “Whenever we face India, it’s as if we’re playing against street children.” The tweet, unsurprisingly, went viral on social media in no time, sparking outrage and heated debate among cricket fans. With criticism pouring in against Iftikhar from Indian fans, the right-hander decided to break his silence on the matter.

“I want to clarify that I have never made the statement being attributed to me. No professional cricketer would ever express such a sentiment. I implore everyone to cease sharing inaccurate information and to report the individual who is promoting hatred. @elonmusk, I kindly request you to consider banning this account due to its misuse of the verified status,” Iftikhar tweeted on Wednesday.

Iftikhar’s Colombo Strikers failed to make the playoffs of LPL 2023 

Iftikhar was recently seen playing for Colombo Strikers in the 2023 Lanka Premier League (LPL) where they failed to enter the playoffs after suffering a humiliating loss to Galle Titans in their last league game. Strikers had every chance of finishing in the top 4, but an eight-wicket loss to the Titans ended their journey this season. Iftikhar took a wicket in the match but failed to score runs for the team in a must-win match.

He has been included in Pakistan’s Asia Cup 2023 squad, which will be a crucial tournament for their World Cup preparations. With major tournaments fast approaching, Pakistan wants their power hitter to be in full swing. The last time India and Pakistan met in the Asia Cup, it was Iftikhar who scored the winning runs in his team’s five-wicket win. The two teams are once again set to clash with each other, this time in the ODI format, on September 2 in Kandy.