Fact-check: Viral video falsely claims Pakistani cricket fan attempted self-immolation after T20 World Cup loss

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Social media users have been misled by a viral video alleging a Pakistani cricket fan attempted self-immolation following Pakistan's loss to India in the T20 World Cup on June 9.

Claim

A video circulated widely on June 11, initially on X (formerly Twitter), claimed to show a Pakistani cricket fan attempting to set himself on fire in response to Pakistan's defeat to India. 

The 15-second clip depicted a man dousing himself with petrol and attempting to ignite a match.

The video had been viewed over 2.6 million times, reposted over 2,400 times and liked over 15,000 times, at the time of writing.

Similar claims were also shared here, here and here.

Fact

The video in question is not related to the cricket match between Pakistan and India. The footage actually originated from a prank video uploaded on YouTube back on May 17.

A keyword and reverse image search found that the original YouTube upload indicates that it was a staged prank by a son on his mother, completely unrelated to any cricket match or national event. However, Geo Fact Check could not independently verify the location or date of the recording.

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Originally published in The News