Australian cricketer Travis Head didn't post on X in solidarity with Reasi bus attack victims

What's the claim?

On June 9, 2024, terrorists attacked a passenger bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, resulting in nine deaths and 41 injuries.

Following the attack, Hasan Ali, a Pakistani cricket team pacer, expressed solidarity with the victims and their families by sharing an image as his Instagram Story. The image depicted a chaotic scene with people in the foreground and burning structures in the background, prominently displaying a sign that read: "ALL EYES ON VAISHNO DEVI ATTACK."

Amid this, a screenshot began circulating on social media, allegedly depicting a post by Australian cricketer Travis Head on X (formerly Twitter). The post featured the same image with the caption: "All Eyes on Vaishno Devi Attack."

This screenshot was widely shared with captions criticizing Bollywood celebrities and Indian cricketers for their perceived silence, contrasting it with Ali's statement of solidarity. One such user said: "Even Travis Head, an Australian cricketer, got the spine to speak up on Vaishno Devi Attack, but Bollywood celebs and Indian cricketers who live in India haven't!!" Archived versions of such posts can be found here, here, here, and here.

Screenshot of the X posts. (Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

Media outlets like Free Press Journal and India.com initially reported that Head had joined Ali in condemning the terrorist attack on Vaishno Devi pilgrims.

However, the post originated from an imposter account masquerading as Head, not his official account.

Where did the post originate?

The screenshot in question showed a post on X from the account @ImTravisHead. The profile photo depicted Head on a sports field with his spouse, Jessica Davies, and their daughter, Milla Paige Head, alongside an Australian flag emoji. The account posted the image (archived here) related to the attack in the early hours of June 14 with the caption "All Eyes on Vaishno Devi Attack."

The account bio claimed "Australian Cricketer - Fansclub Enquiries - andrew@helixplayermanagement.com.au," and appeared authentic. However, it was created in September 2022 and is not a legitimate account of the Australian cricketer.

Travis Head’s social media account

In December 2023, another screenshot from a fake account had gone viral, falsely claiming that Head supported Khawaja's "all lives are equal" message.

Logically Facts had contacted Head's management team to verify if '@ImTravisHead' was his official account. Andrew McRitchie, Head of the sports consultancy managing Head's accounts, clarified, "No, it is not. His official account is @travishead34."

The legitimate account @travishead34 (archived here) was created in May 2013. The profile picture on this account shows him in a cricket uniform, number 34, on the boundary of a cricket field with a packed stadium in the background. His verified account has over 44 thousand followers, while the fake one has over 20 thousand.

The genuine account features a cover photo of Head with Phillip Hughes, an Australian cricketer who died in 2014 during a match, whereas the fake account's cover photo shows him with his family. The official account has 344 posts, while the fake one has 258 posts.

His official bio also links to his Instagram account (archived here) and mentions affiliations with teams like West End Redbacks and Adelaide Strikers (@WestEndRedbacks, @StrikersBBL, and @TTGDCC).

Comparison between Head’s official account and the fake account. (Source: X/Screenshots)

A review of his X account confirmed that Head did not comment on the Reasi bus attack from his verified account. Likewise, no statements regarding the incident were found on his Instagram profile, and there were no media reports of Head commenting on the attack.

The verdict

Australian cricketer Travis Head did not post a message of solidarity with victims of the Reasi bus attack on X, with the message 'All Eyes on Vaishno Devi Attack.' The post originated from a fake account. Head has not made any statements regarding the attack.