A photo that appears to show a group of Pakistani cricketers being welcomed by a large crowd holding banners that read “Welcome to Sri Lanka” is fake and AI generated.
BOOM tested the photo using multiple AI image detection tools, which confirmed that the image contains artificially generated content.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently announced that the team will not play its match against India scheduled for February 15, 2026. In response to media questions, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said that players will follow whatever instructions come from the government or the cricket board on the matter. The boycott controversy around the India match followed the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s decision to not send its team to India, and its subsequent withdrawal from the upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup.
The Claim
The photo is being shared with the caption, "This is How real heros are welcomed in Sri Lanka. My Indian haters plz don't count everything in terms on money - it's the dignity the honor that matters."
Click here to view the post.
What We Found: Photo Is AI-Generated
1. No Credible Source For The Picture: We ran a reverse image search to find the origin of the photo, however no credible news reports related to the upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup were found.
2. AI Detector Tools Flag Manipulation: Taking a cue, we then tested the photo using several AI image detection tools such as Hive Moderation and Undetectable AI. Results from both tools indicated AI-generated elements in the image and showed that the picture is not real as claimed.