Mohsin Naqvi Jay Shah for Pakistan and ICC. Image Credits: AFP
Pakistan women's cricketer Aliya Riaz’s incidence in the recent ICC Women‘s T20 World Cup 2026 has led the Jay Shah-led International Cricket Council (ICC) to take some drastic steps and introduce a safe space app for the female cricketers.
International cricket players participate in the ICC Player Protection Programme, which is run in collaboration with Freedom2hear (previously GoBubble) and aims to deter trolls on social media.
The Aliya Riaz controversy led to the ICC taking a big step
Recently, Pakistani women’s cricketer Aliya Riaz, who is married to former Pakistan team head coach Waqar Younis’ younger brother Ali Younis, courted a huge controversy after Pakistan captain Fatima Sana Khan reportedly levied big allegations against her.
Before a crucial game, an internal conflict erupted when captain Fatima Sana openly criticised her teammate, seasoned cricketer Aliya Riaz, for housing her husband, Ali Younis, in her team hotel. As a result, she said, the team's security was jeopardised.
This problem was made worse by Pakistan's fourth consecutive T20 World Cup defeat, which was caused by Aliya Riaz's poor performance. It further claimed that Aliya Riaz went sightseeing with her spouse prior to the Bangladesh match rather than participating in a team practice.
After reports emerged online, Aliya Riaz was subjected to a lot of brutal online trolling. Her morphed pictures swarmed through the internet and her charachter was also assassinated by online trolls.
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Sana also wanted Aliya Riaz dropped from the Pakistan team, but Wahab Riaz vetoed her decision and included Aliya in the Pakistan team. She made 35 runs in 4 games despite having more than 14 years of experience.
What is the ICC Player Protection Programme?
Additional security is offered on all official ICC social media accounts under the ICC Player Protection Programme. In addition to umpires and broadcasters, seven of the twelve teams participating in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 are protected.
The programme has already attracted over 100 female cricket players. The tool examined almost 250,000 comments and eliminated roughly 60,000 offensive items after the first week of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026. 370 people were blocked, and over 2,000 repeat offenders had their interactions temporarily restricted.
Radha Yadav and Amy Jones praise the programme
The programme, which was first unveiled prior to the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, is an important part of the ICC's broader strategy for player welfare and protection.
One of those star players at the T20 World Cup who are protected is England wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones, who said, 'I signed up to the service with the ICC and Freedom2Hear to help with some of the toxicity that comes with social media for women in elite sports.' It is something that we sadly have to deal with as international athletes in the public eye, and it can have a negative effect on you when you are simply trying to play the game to the best of your ability.”
Since then, the technique has been implemented at every ICC event, assisting participants in interacting with fans in a confident manner while limiting their exposure to dangerous internet content.
On the other hand, Radha Yadav stated, "Social media can be such an amazing resource for me to interact with friends, family and fans all over the world, but it's also become an increasingly toxic space, especially for female athletes. It's important to talk about this openly and find solutions to the problem, which is why I signed up for the ICC Player Protection Programme."
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