Viral video does not show Shahid Afridi being beaten by fans upon returning from 2007 T20 World Cup final loss against India

The iVerify Pakistan team reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search and a keyword search to corroborate the video.

Posts from multiple Indian users on social media platform X on September 24, 2025, shared a video, claiming that it showed former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi being horribly treated and beaten by fans after returning from the 2007 T20 World Cup final, after losing against India. However, the video shows an incident from 2012 and has nothing to do with the public mistreating him.

The T20 World Cup in 2007 saw India and Pakistan emerge as the tournament’s most dominant sides. Both teams thrilled fans with their aggressive play and set up a high-stakes final in Johannesburg. In a dramatic finish, India edged Pakistan by five runs to lift the maiden trophy.

Afridi has been in the spotlight recently after criticising the Indian cricket team’s refusal to shake hands after their Asia Cup 2025 match against Pakistan on Sept 14, 2025, saying the players “should be great ambassadors, not an embarrassment” and suggesting they were “given orders from up above”.

HOW IT STARTED

On Sept 24, a user who appeared to be an Indian cricket team fan, posted on X of Afridi in a brawl.

The post was captioned: “This is how Afridi was welcomed in Pakistan after India beat Pakistan in 2007 T20 World Cup final. On this day, Afridi was beaten like a dog by his own public in his own country”.

The post gained 1.6 million views, 3,800 reposts and 24,000 likes.

The video with the same claim was shared by multiple other Indian users on X as can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the account due to its high virality and keen public interest in the matter.

A reverse image search yielded a video that was shared by Geo News on its YouTube channel on March 24, 2012, with the following title: “Geo Reports-Shahid Afridi attacks fan at airport- Mar 23, 2012”.

The caption of the video said: “Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi attacked and slapped a fan at Karachi airport after he returned home from Dhaka where Pakistan won the Asia Cup final against Bangladesh on Thursday.”

A video of the same incident was also shared by The Telegraph on March 24, 2012, with the following title: “Cricketer Shahid Afridi attacks fan at airport”.

A keyword search for the incident yielded multiple credible mainstream media reports on the matter.

A March 23, 2012, Dawn news report titled, “Shahid Afridi attacks fan at airport”, mentioned that Afridi attacked and slapped a fan at Karachi airport after he returned home from Dhaka, where Pakistan won the Asia Cup final against Bangladesh. It said Afridi lost his temper because his young daughter was pushed to the ground while mobbed by fans.

The incident was also reported by Reuters, NDTV and Aaj Tak.

It was further found during the course of the investigation that the same video with a similar claim was shared earlier in September 2025 as well, as can be seen here, here and here.

The same video with a similar claim was also shared on X on April 29, 2025.

The video was captioned: “Heard Shahid Afridi is barking on social media. This is how he was welcomed in Pakistan after his trademark duck in the 2007 World Cup final against India.”

The post gained 1.3m views.

Similar posts were also shared during late March 2025 here, here, here and here.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi being beaten by fans upon his return after Pakistan lost against India in the 2007 T20 World Cup final is false.

The video is of a scuffle between Afridi and a fan from March 23, 2012.