Ricky Ponting did not say 'money can't buy success' over India's T20 cricket World Cup exit
Ricky Ponting did not say 'money can't buy success' over India's T20 cricket World Cup exit
(Reuters) - Ricky Ponting, commentator, coach, and former Australian cricket captain (here), did not make a comment widely attributed to him that contrasted the fortunes of Pakistan and India at the international men s cricket T20 World Cup.
Social media users have been sharing text attributed to Ponting that reads: “Even with so much control and hold over world cricket, India is out of the World Cup. Money can’t buy success and Pakistan have proved that.”
One user tweeted the fabricated quote on Twitter on Nov. 7. The tweet gathered more than 11,000 likes and 2,000 shares by the time of publication (here).
The posts do not detail the source or date of the alleged quote. Reuters did not find any record of Ponting saying this quote or any recent similar comment.
Reuters did not find any evidence of the quote on Ponting’s Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook feeds (twitter.com/RickyPonting), (here), (www.facebook.com/ricky.ponting).
A Twitter advanced search did not reveal the quote on Ponting’s Twitter page (bit.ly/3EXxUNN).
A spokesperson for Ponting confirmed to Reuters that the quote was fabricated.
The Indian cricket team was among the favorites ahead of the Men s T20 World Cup but made an early exit and did not advance into the semi-finals (here).
Pakistan topped Group 2 with 10 points after winning each of their five matches, while New Zealand finished second with eight points. With defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand, India missed out on qualification for the semi-finals and finished third in the group with six points (www.t20worldcup.com/standings).
India was officially knocked out on Nov. 7 after New Zealand swept to victory over Afghanistan in an eight-wicket win (here). Pakistan beat India in a comprehensive 10-wicket victory earlier in the championship on Oct. 24 (here).
Pakistan will be facing Australia in a semi-final showdown on Nov. 11 (here).
VERDICT
False. Reuters did not find any evidence that Ricky Ponting said money cannot buy success in cricket, and that the Pakistan national cricket team had proved this. The quote was fabricated and shared online.
