PCB identifies and reports fake Twitter account of newly appointed chair of management committee Zaka Ashraf

Zaka Ashraf has recently gained significant attention. On July 6, he was appointed as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee for a four-month term. In an intriguing turn of events, the PCB has discovered that a verified Twitter account bearing the name of interim committee chairman Zaka Ashraf is actually fake.

Since its creation in February 2021, the account has posted 55 tweets before ultimately being deleted. Among the false announcements made by this account was the claim that former cricketer Mohammad Hafeez had been offered the role of chief selector for the cricket team. Similarly, on June 20, 2023, the account was used to falsely announce the appointment of Imran Farhat as batting coach.

The PCB promptly informed the public that Zaka Ashraf does not have a Twitter account and that the reported account was fraudulent. The imposter, operating under the handle @IZakaAshraf, had garnered over 8,000 followers and identified as Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf, with the bio claiming to be "Chairman @TheRealPCB" along with the hashtag #ZakaAshraf.

Mr Zaka Ashraf does not have an account on @Twitter. This is a fake account and has been reported to @verified by the PCB. pic.twitter.com/PbMYm2Chat

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 7, 2023

In a fabricated tweet, the imposter stated, "I have appointed Shahid Aslam as the manager of Pakistan Shaheens. He will accompany the Pakistan team to Sri Lanka for the emerging Asia Cup, with Mohammad Haris leading the side as captain." These deceitful statements misled individuals and created a false narrative.

On July 3, 2023, at 1:00 PM, the imposter account made a reference to the infamous incident involving Johnny Bairstow during the Ashes 2023. It audaciously claimed, "The man won the World Cup with overthrow runs. England's cricket team has the audacity to talk about the spirit of cricket, but they are the worst cheaters in the history of the sport, even worse than India."

It is important for the general public to stay alert and depend on trustworthy sources of information. Prompt measures have been taken by the PCB to tackle the issue and guarantee openness in its communication channels.