Brian Lara takes to instagram to quash rumours; confirms Covid negative test

In what has come as a much-needed clarification, legendary Windies batsman Brian Lara has taken to Instagram to confirm that he has not tested positive for the novel coronavirus. On Wednesday, as revealed by the man himself, rumours circulated that Lara had tested positive for the virus, but in an Instagram post, the 51-year-old confirmed that the speculations were false. 

The southpaw posted a picture with the text “I have been tested for Covid-19 and results confirm that I am negative for the virus” and, in the caption, elaborated that he was disappointed with the spread of wrongful information. Lara, while stating that he was not affected by the rumors, claimed that the false information created unnecessary panic amongst the close ones in his circle. 

"Hi everyone, I have read all the circulating rumours regarding me testing positive for the coronavirus and it is important I clarify the facts. Not only is this information false, but it is also detrimental to spread such panic in a community already feeling the distress of the COVID situation," Lara said in the Instagram post.

"While you haven't personally affected me, what causes concern is that spread of wrongful information is careless and causes unnecessary worry amongst a lot of people that would have been in my circle. This virus isn't something we should be using in a negative manner to create sensationalism. I hope and pray that all of us remain safe because as is noticeable COVID 19 is going nowhere in the near future.”

This is, bizarrely, the second recent instance of a cricketer having to take to Twitter to quash wrongful information that spread on social media. Last month, Pakistan pacer Mohammad Irfan also took to Twitter to rubbish rumors that he had passed away due to a car accident.