Written by: Amit Chaturvedi
World News Oct 19, 2026 17:01 IST Published On Oct 19, 2026 17:01 IST Last Updated On Oct 19, 2026 17:01 IST Shahid Afridi made his international debut against Kenya in 1996.
A viral post claiming former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has died is spreading fast on social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter. The post has been shared with a poster paying tribute to Afridi, among the most explosive and entertaining all-rounders of his generations. Twitter users slammed the handle for posting updates like these, accusing it of stooping to low levels for engagement farming. One of them asked Twitter’s AI-powered chatbot Grok to fact-check the news and give details about Afridi. “This news is completely fake. Shahid Afridi is alive and healthy. Some users demanded these posts be taken down. In May this year, Afridi became the fourth cricketer from Pakistan to be conferred with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz. He joined Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the elite list. Show full article
Because afridi was invited to the opening ceremony of his foundation in Karachi, however, the news turned out to be fake. Earlier too, in June 2025, a similar AI-generated fake death news had gone viral,” Grok said in its response. Afridi played for Pakistan at the highest level from 1996 to 2018. He went on to feature in over 500 international matches, which included Pakistan’s T20 World Cup victory in 2009. Afridi made his international debut against Kenya in 1996 in Nairobi. He later slammed a 37-ball century in an ODI match, which was a record at the time. The all-rounder played 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20Is. Being a part of Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup-winning team, he was also adjudged Player of the Match in the final, with Pakistan defeating Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
“This is a purely fake news,” commented one user. “Afridi is alive,” said another user.
