Video of Imamul Haq saying Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan prioritises religion amid Champions Trophy performance

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is misleading.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a keyword search to find the original video.

Multiple posts on social media platform X on February 26, 2025, predominantly from Indian accounts, shared a video of cricketer Imamul Haq discussing religious habits of Pakistan team Mohammad Rizwan in the wake of the Green Shirt’s departure from the Champions Trophy. However, the video is from December 2024.

The Pakistan cricket team has faced criticism for its poor performance in the ongoing Champions Trophy, which the country is also hosting. After losing two out of three matches, the team has been eliminated from the tournament. Rizwan was appointed captain of the national cricket team in the white-ball formats of One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20s (T20s) in 2024.

HOW IT STARTED

On Feb 26, Indian digital media outlet Times Algebra shared quotes from Haq allegedly about Rizwan prioritising religious practices.

The post’s caption said: “Big news. Pakistan cricketer Imamul Haq reveals that Pak Captain Mohammad Rizwan prioritises Islamic practices. He said: ‘Upon arriving at a new location, Rizwan ensures a designated prayer space is established in the hotel. Access is restricted for non-Muslims. He arranges the area with white sheets for cleanliness during prayers. He even creates a WhatsApp group to coordinate prayer times among team members.’”

To support the claim, the account also shared a nearly one-minute clip from his podcast interview.

The post did not mention the date or context of the interview from which the quotes were taken. However, it was shared in the same week that Pakistan were knocked out of the Champions Trophy and criticised for their performance, thus creating the impression that Rizwan prioritised religion over other things, such as the sport itself.

The post racked up 2.3 million views and 2,200 re-shares.

The same claim was posted here by another Indian account with the caption: “Other captains: Make strategy, enforce discipline, decide practice timings, make sure everyone is focused on next game. Pakistan Captain Maulana Mohammad Rizwan: Find a room for Namaz in hotel, ban non-muslims from entering the room, spread white sheets in room for Namaz, make WhatsApp group for Namaz timings. And Pakistanis are crying why they are not doing well.”

The post was viewed 694,000 times.

Another Indian account’s post, with over 792,000 views, shared the same alleged list of actions, saying: “Pakistan cricketer Imamul Haq on why Captain Maulana Mohammad Rizwan focuses more on Islamic values than cricket.”

Similar posts were shared here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest and anger at the Pakistan cricket team’s performance and ability after the Champions Trophy exit.

A keyword search for “Imamul Haq podcast interview” on YouTube led to a two-hour interview uploaded by the Cricwick channel on December 18, 2024.

Reviewing the full interview confirmed that the viral clip was taken from a segment of the Ultra Edge podcast called ‘Name Drop’. The interview thus had nothing to do with the Champions Trophy or the team’s performance, and it did not show Haq commenting on Rizwan’s conduct as the captain during the tournament.

In this segment, the host mentioned a profession or term, and Haq had to associate it with a member of the Pakistan cricket team.

Sixty-nine minutes into the interview, Haq identified Rizwan as the “leader” for his ability to “gather everyone for prayers”, describing it as a “great habit”.

Thus, even in the interview, Haq was appreciative of Rizwan rather than dismissive or saying that the captain prioritised religion over the sport.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim that a video going viral, in the week of Pakistan’s disappointing performance and exit from the Champions Trophy, shows Imamul Haq saying Pakistan cricket captain Mohammad Rizwan prioritises religion over the sport is misleading.

The interview is from December 2024 and therefore, totally unrelated to the tournament or the team or Rizwan’s performance in it. Furthermore, it also showed Haq appreciating the captain instead of criticising him.

Evidence and References

December 18, 2024, Cricwick YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fldcEHuyak8