Fact Check: Pat Cummins neither said Ahmedabad’s crowd is not good nor did he mention Babar Azam’s name after winning the World Cup

Yesterday, Australia emerged victorious in the Cricket World Cup after defeating Team India in an intense final match. But in the aftermath of this thrilling event, fake news is spreading fast. An X handler with the name Anas Tipu made a bold claim about Pat Cummins, the Captain of the Australian cricket Team. According to him, Pat Cummins said, Indian crowd is usually amazing but crowd at Ahmedabad is not, they booed Babar in the first match too. We wanted to silence this crowd in the last match. That’s why I said it and we did it.

An X handler named Dis’Qualified Democracy shared the picture Pat Cummins and made similar claim. According to him also, Pat Cummins said, Indian crowd is usually amazing but crowd at Ahmedabad is not, they booed Babar in the first match too. We wanted to silence this crowd in the last match. That’s why I said it and we did it.

"Indian crowd is usually amazing but crowd at Ahmedabad is not, they booed Babar in the first match too. We wanted to silence this crowd in the last match. Thats why I said it and we did it"
~ Pat Cummins#ICCCricketWorldCup2023Final pic.twitter.com/h2iwJooQl8

— Dis'Qualified Democracy 🚫 (@HossionShek) November 20, 2023

Moreover, X handlers named rkhuria2, Zeeshan, and @Mohankanthasam2 also shared the picture of Pat Cummins and made similar claims.

"Indian crowd is usually amazing but crowd at Ahmedabad is not, they booed Babar in the first match too. We wanted to silence this crowd in the last match. Thats why I said it and we did it"

– Pat Cummins pic.twitter.com/PCVBj6KdWF

— Zeeshan 🇵🇰 (@Shani_7800) November 19, 2023

"Indian crowd is usually amazing but crowd at Ahmedabad is not, they booed Babar in the first match too. We wanted to silence this crowd in the last match. Thats why I said it and we did it"

– Pat Cummins pic.twitter.com/M6mY6Irno1

— 🇵🇸 மோகன்கந்தசாமி 🇵🇸 (@Mohankanthasam2) November 20, 2023

So, is it true that Pat Cummins said the Ahmedabad crowd is not good and mentioned Babar’s name in his speech as well? Let’s Fact Check.

Also Read: Did PM Modi Abruptly Exit the Stage After Handing Over the World Cup Trophy, Creating an Awkward Moment for the Australian Captain?

Fact Check

During our investigation, we first searched for Pat Cummins’ pre-final match press conference. Our search led us to a complete video of Pat Cummins’ pre-final match press conference on a YouTube channel named RAMEN SPORTS TV. This video, uploaded on November 18, 2023, captured the entire press conference. Surprisingly, after thoroughly reviewing the video, there was no instance where Pat Cummins mentioned the name ‘Babar’ at any point.

Continuing our investigation, we delved into keyword research on Google using words like ‘Pat Cummins on silencing Indian crowd.’ Our search led us to a report by Jansatta, published on November 18, 2023. This report shed light on the crucial aspects of Pat Cummins’ statement made during the pre-final match press conference. According to this report, Cummins said, ‘I think you have to accept it. The crowd will be one-sided. There’s nothing more relaxing than hearing a big crowd go silent at a game, and that’s our goal tomorrow. You have to capitalize on every opportunity in the final.’

Moreover, upon thorough examination of the report, there was no mention of Pat Cummins referencing Babar or making any derogatory remarks about the Ahmedabad crowd.

After this, we stumbled upon a report by Hindustan Times, dated November 18, 2023. According to this report, Pat Cummins said, I think you’ve got to embrace it,” he said during a press conference on Saturday. Taking a cue from past Australian captains like Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, Cummins said his target would be to silence the packed crowd in Ahmedabad.

He further said, “The crowd’s obviously going to be very one-sided but it’s also in sport there’s nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent and that’s the aim for us tomorrow. Yeah, you’ve just got to embrace every part of it, every part of a final even you know in the lead-up there’s going to be noise and more people and interest and you just can’t get overwhelmed. You got to be up for it, you got to love it and just know whatever happens it’s fine but you just want to finish the day with no regrets,”.

Continuing our investigation, we turned our attention to Pat Cummins’ post-final match press conference. Our search led us to a comprehensive video of this press conference on a YouTube channel called Wide World of Sports, uploaded on November 20, 2023. Surprisingly, after thoroughly reviewing the entire video, there was no instance where Pat Cummins made any reference to Babar or made any derogatory remarks about the crowd in Ahmedabad.

Further into our investigation, we stumbled upon a report by India TV dated November 20, 2023. According to this report, Australian captain Pat Cummins found immense satisfaction in the pivotal moment of the World Cup final – silencing the massive crowd of 90,000 spectators at the Narendra Modi Stadium by dismissing Virat Kohli. Cummins described the satisfaction he felt when Kohli, playing at 54 runs, was dismissed due to a ball with extra bounce. Acknowledging the sudden hush that fell over the audience, Cummins reflected on the possibility of Kohli achieving a century, which he often does. Despite this, dismissing him was particularly satisfying.

Cummins also shared his perspective on the vibrant scene outside the stadium, noticing the ‘blue convoy’ of fans heading towards the venue from his hotel room. During the toss, he witnessed a staggering 130,000 people clad in the blue jerseys of Team India, an unforgettable experience for him. Reflecting on the day, Cummins mentioned the pleasant surprise of the crowd’s largely silent demeanor, stating that the majority of the time, they refrained from making noise.

However, upon thorough examination of the report, there was no mention of Pat Cummins referencing Babar or making any derogatory remarks about the Ahmedabad crowd.

Hence, taking into account all the evidence gathered through our investigation, it’s apparent that Pat Cummins never made any reference to Babar or disrespected the crowd in Ahmedabad during either the pre-match or post-match conferences.

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