Fake Image Viral as ‘Proof’ of Fakhar Zaman Being Wrongly Given Out in Asia Cup

A detection tool showed over 97 percent probability of the image being an AI one.

Fact-Check | The image is AI-generated and does not show a real visual of Fakhar Zaman's dismissal.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image showing a wicketkeeper trying to catch a ball is going viral with users claiming that it shows clear 'evidence' of Pakistani cricketer Fakhar Zaman being wrongly given out during a match against India in the 2025 Asia Cup tournament.

What have users said?: An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the photo with a caption that said, "Now its clear Fakhar Zaman was NOT OUT , Retweet for the sake of justice. Umpire was wrong. #PakVsInd #AsiaCup2025 Pakistan vs India."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

The above post had clocked over four lakh views on the platform. More archives of similar claims could be accessed here, here, and here.

What's the truth?: The image is fake. We found that the viral photo did not match the visuals seen in the official match between India and Pakistan.

A possible discrepancy: On closely looking at the image, one can see that the ball did not seem like a regular cricket ball and its seam appeared to be distorted.

• This pointed us towards the possibility of the image being a fake one.

The ball's seam appeared to be distorted.

(Source: Viral image/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

Checking the highlights: Team WebQoof went through the full highlights of the match uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Asian Cricket Council.

• It was shared on 22 September and was titled, "Super Fours, Match 2 | India vs Pakistan | DP World Asia Cup 2025."

• At around the 3:36 timestamp, one can see the dismissal of Zaman when he was caught behind by the Indian wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.

• The visuals from the YouTube video did not match the viral image.

Comparing visuals: We compared the exact keyframe where the ball could be seen landing in Samson's gloves to the viral image and found several glaring differences.

• The seam of the cricket ball in the YouTube video can be seen pointing downwards and not sideways (as seen in the viral image).

• One can also see that Samson's gloves below the ball, which wasn't seen in the viral photo.

A comparison clearly highlights the differences.

(Source: YouTube/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

What did a detection tool show?: On passing the image through a detection tool namely — 'Hive Moderation', it showed over 97 percent probability of the photo being an AI one.

The tool showed over 97 percent probability of the photo being an AI one.

(Source: Hive Moderation/Screenshot)

Conclusion: Evidently, the image is fake and does not show a real visual of Zaman's dismissal against India in the 2025 Asia Cup tournament.

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