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A mistranslated viral Instagram post has now fueled speculation that Afghanistan’s star batsman Rahmat Shah is no more.
The Instagram post was made by Shah’s teammate fast bowler Karim Janat along with Rahmat’s picture. The caption he posted was in Pashto and was mistranslated before it went viral on X and other social media.
Original post by Karim Janat
Late Friday night, Janat posted a photo of Shah with a caption written in Pashto. It seemed that Instagram’s auto-translation feature gave the wrong message and said that Rehmat had passed away, even though he was just 32 years old.
The post has now gone viral with a mistranslated version.
Rehmat Shah is alive
After fact-checking, it was found that Rahmat was indeed alive, and it was an error of Instagram’s auto-translate feature.
“With great sadness I heard the news of the demise of Rahmat Shah, the great player of Afghanistan National Cricket Team. This great tragedy has deeply saddened me and all cricket fans. As a cricket player, I express my deepest sympathies and condolences to Rahmat Shah and his family. May Allah grant the deceased heaven, illuminate his grave and give his family the fortitude to bear this immense grief. Verily, we belong to Allah, and verily, to Him we will return,” the automated Instagram translation of Karim’s post read.
It was explained that while Rehmat himself was alive, his mother had passed away. The revised translation of Janat’s post should read as follows:
“I heard the news of the death of the respected mother of Rahmat Shah, a talented player of the national cricket team. This great tragedy deeply saddens me and all cricket fans. On my own behalf and as a cricketer, I express my deepest sympathy and condolences to Rahmat Shah and his respected family. May Allah grant heaven to the deceased, fill his grave with light, and grant his family the patience to bear this great grief. Truly, we belong to Allah, and to Him we will truly return.”
Fans are finally relieved that the confusion is cleared up, but the tributes for Rehmat Shah’s mother still continue. People were also asked not to spread unverified misinformation on social media.
Afghanistan, Rahmat Shah and Karim Janat’s next match and their career
Afghanistan next face a Test and three-match ODI series against India in June. The team has not yet announced its squad for this overseas series.
On the cricket front, Karim Janat has played 2 Tests, 3 ODIs and 75 T20 matches for Afghanistan. He has not taken any wickets in the longer formats, but has taken 42 wickets at an economy of 8.22 in T20Is and has also scored 759 runs. He last played for Afghanistan in the 2025 T20 Asia Cup.
Rahmat Shah has played 11 Tests, 125 ODIs and 1 T20 match for Afghanistan. In Tests he has scored 970 runs at an average of 46 and in ODIs he has scored 4034 runs at an average of 35.
Rahmat has not played any cricket since October 2025, when he was forced to retire hurt in an ODI against Bangladesh.
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