‘Man knocked down by vehicle in Toronto identified as former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya’, said the headline of an article on a website, CBTV. According to the report, the former swashbuckling opener succumbed to his injuries a few hours after he was knocked down by a Honda Civic, adding that the Sri Lankan embassy in Canada had confirmed the identity of the cricketer.
The ‘news’ of Sanath Jayasuriya’s untimely demise soon flooded social media, with some celebrities too tweeting about it. While actor Arshad Warsi called the news ‘shocking and sad’, cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin tweeted to ask if the news was true. Warsi tweeted the link to the CBTV article on Jayasuriya.
This news is so shocking & sad…https://t.co/NvinJ227k2
— Arshad Warsi (@ArshadWarsi) May 27, 2019
Is the news on Sanath Jayasuriya true?? I got a news update on what’s app but see nothing here on Twitter!!
— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) May 27, 2019
Fake news!
Sanath Jayasuriya is alive and well. The report by CBTV is fake news. This was confirmed by none other than Jayasuriya himself who tweeted saying that he has not visited Canada recently, and that he is very much in Sri Lanka.
Please disregard fake news by malicious websites regarding my health and well being.
I am in Srilanka and have not visited Canada recently.Please avoid sharing fake news.— Sanath Jayasuriya (@Sanath07) May 21, 2019
In conclusion, reports suggesting that former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya has died in a road accident in Canada, are false.
Independent journalism that speaks truth to power and is free of corporate and political control is possible only when people start contributing towards the same. Please consider donating towards this endeavour to fight fake news and misinformation.
