Did Simon Doull say his stay in Pakistan was ‘hell’?

Twitter was taken by storm on Thursday evening as some Indian media outlets began to assert that New Zealand cricket commentator Simon Doull — who was in Pakistan for the recently-completed Pakistan Super League (PSL) — had termed his stay in the country as “hell.”

To add credence to their claim, they cited Geo News as the source of their report.

Immediately, cricket fans in India began to make the news viral, as Pakistani fans began to defend their country.

The question stands: Did Doull say that to Geo News?

The answer: Neither did Doull make such a statement regarding his stay in Pakistan, nor did Geo News report such a comment.

For further clarity on the matter, a UK-based reporter Saj Sadiq reached out to Doull.

According to Sadiq, Doull said he “absolutely loved” his stay in the country.

Taking to Twitter, Sadiq said: “Just spoke with Simon Doull. He denies reports quoting him as saying he was not allowed to go out in Pakistan as Babar Azam fans were waiting for him and that he stayed in Pakistan without food for many days. He says that he absolutely loved his time in Pakistan.”

How did it start?

Apparently, the claims made by the Indian media outlets were based on a falsified graphic post which stated: “Living in India is like living in jail. I was not allowed to go out as Virat Kohli fans were waiting for me. And I stayed in India without food for many days. Even I was mentally tortured but by the grace of God I somehow escaped from India.”

Geo News had denied any association with the making or circulation of the post and the comments they ascribe to Doull.