Battle Beyond Boundaries: How Online Trolls And Abuse Put Cricketers' Families On The Firing Line

In this era of instant reactions and unchecked anonymity, cricketers and their families are increasingly paying the emotional price for the on-field performances that don’t meet the expectations of millions or billions. What makes this episode of cricketers and their families facing continuous online abuse and trolling even more disturbing is not just that it happened, but that it no longer shocks us the way it should.

It is obviously unfortunate and unquestionably wrong. Yet it has slowly become a grim pattern that follows high-profile defeats of teams or failures of certain individuals. The moment a result goes against expectations, social media timelines turn into battlegrounds. Anonymous profiles, armed with nothing but keyboards and outrage, begin targeting not just the players but their families — people who neither hold a bat nor bowl a ball.

Criticism is a part of professional sport, and it will always remain the same, but abuse is not. And when families become collateral damage in the aftermath of a defeat, it exposes not the delicacy of a team, but the fragility of online civility.

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After Pakistan’s disappointing defeat against England in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match, a loss that has left them all but out of semifinal contention, the reactions and the criticism did not remain confined to cricketing conversations. Instead, it split into timelines, comment sections and direct messages. And this time, the target was not just the players.

Salman Ali Agha's wife faces online abuse

The wife of Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha Sabba Manzer became the latest victim of online abuse, as frustration from fans turned into personal attacks. A defeat on the field quickly transformed into a digital witch-hunt off it — one that dragged family members, who have no control over results, into the firing line. However, Sabba was quick to react and slammed the trolls. "Sending me or my innocent son abuse is not going to win you the World Cup, Pakistani fans," she wrote on social media.

Instances when shameful 'online trolling' crossed boundaries

Virat Kohli & Anushka Sharma: After India’s defeats in ICC tournaments, especially the 2021 T20 World Cup loss to Pakistan, Virat Kohli's wife Anushka Sharma was subjected to vile abuse and even threats online, with trolls blaming her for the then skipper's performance — a disturbing example of families being dragged into cricketing failures.

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Mohammed Shami: During the same 2021 T20 World Cup defeat, Mohammed Shami was targeted with communal slurs and religious abuse on social media, exposing how quickly sporting disappointment can turn into hate-driven narratives. The unfortunate sequence of events emerged after India's defeat against Pakistan in that tournament. Shami said those who trolled him were neither "real fans nor were they real Indians".

"When people with unknown social media profiles or even one with a few followers point fingers at someone, they don't have anything to lose," the pacer said.

"For them, nothing is at stake because they are nobodies... we don't need to engage with them."

Arshdeep Singh: After dropping a catch against Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup, Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh faced intense trolling, personal abuse, and even attacks questioning his nationality.

MS Dhoni's daughter got rape threats: The levels of negativity on social media went beyond all boundaries when a five-year-old child was issued rape threats. And it was cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s daughter, Ziva, all because her father didn’t play well in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in 2020. What’s even more shocking is that it was a 16-year-old boy from Gujarat who did this.