Pak vs Aus: Fake threats from India fail to derail Australia’s tour of Pakistan 2022
The Pakistan and Australian cricket boards, as well as security authorities of Pakistan, discarded a fake threat aimed at Australian spin bowler Ashton Agar, warning him not to proceed with the historic Pak vs Aus tour. The so-called threat was purportedly delivered over Instagram to Agar’s partner.
In a press release, Cricket Australia stated that rigorous security procedures are in place for this type of social media activity, which is not considered a threat in this case.
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“Cricket Australia is aware of a social media post, of which the nature and content have been investigated by the PCB, CA and combined Government security processes,” said Cricket Australia in a statement.
Reports in the Australian media said the “Security agencies, CA and the PCB have procedures in place for investigating these kinds of messages that target players and their families. Agar was said to be in good spirits despite the direct message sent to his wife. He is comfortable with the procedures that have been followed.”
On 27 of February 2022, Sunday, the Australian cricket team landed in Pakistan for a tour that would include three Tests, three One-Day Internationals, and one Twenty20 match.
The Australian cricket team last toured Pakistan back in 1998 when they played 3 tests and 3 ODIs. The strong Aussie side clean swept the ODI series 3-0, also winning the test series 1-0.
The most recent threat follows a pattern of bogus threats directed at the New Zealand cricket team, which were also tracked back to fake accounts & email addresses created by Indians.
According to currently available information, a member of the Australian cricket team’s family got a message on Instagram asking him not to undertake the tour because it may be dangerous.
“This is a warning for your husband Ashton Agar if he comes to tour against Pakistan he won’t come [back] alive.” The message also references Agar’s children, which he does not have,” the message said.
The message was delivered from the Instagram account jyot.isharma391 with the email address mridul.tiwari07@gmail.com.
An Internet search revealed that the individual had a LinkedIn account and that the claimed person, Mirdul Tiwari, is employed by IMC Limited as health, safety, and environmental officer in Amreli, Gujarat.
Mirdul Tiwari’s social media profiles, however, were erased hours after he was discovered in the media. On his Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts, all information about him was removed.
After receiving similar threats, the New Zealand squad decided to return home after discovering that they, too, came from accounts with IP addresses connected to India. Despite receiving the head of state security protocol, the New Zealand squad left Pakistan hours before the start of their first match.
However, the pressure exerted by the Pakistan Cricket Board & the former cricketers made New Zealand reschedule their tour to Pakistan this year.
The West Indies squad, on the other hand, freely posted fake threats made against them on numerous social media channels. The British cricket team similarly decided to abandon the visit at the last minute, a decision that was afterward regretted by the whole team.
Before embarking on the visit, Australian security officials thoroughly analyzed the situation and were eager to begin the trip on March 4 in Rawalpindi. Pakistan’s 7th Pakistan Super League (PSL) series was successfully finished in Lahore, with a record-breaking number of visitors.
Last year, a day after New Zealand pulled out of the Pakistan series last minute on the false pretext of a hoax threat, a women’s cricket match between New Zealand and England went ahead despite a threat at England’s Leicester.
The visit of the Australian cricket team is a moment to rejoice and celebrate the arrival of spring for cricket fans. The team’s stay has been well planned, and entertaining cricket is about to begin.
