New Delhi, June 23 (IANS): Following speculation going viral on social media which suggested that the families of players and the team’s coaching staff traveled with the team on Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) expenditure, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood has released a statement stating he will be "pursuing legal advice against those responsible for making these false allegations".

"This culture of falsely accusing and misleading people to believe a false narrative is now getting ridiculous and dangerous. Speaking without evidence and misconstruing facts is a criminal offence, and those engaging in such behaviour will be dealt with through legal action," wrote Azhar Mahmood on X formerly known as Twitter.

The men in green had a lackluster T20 World Cup which saw the side crash out of the group stage of the tournament as they were pipped by hosts USA in the points table. This is just one of many controversies brewing around the Pakistan side who are under the microscope after their World Cup group stage exit.

"Pursuing an increase in followers and media attention by spreading falsehoods is downright unacceptable. I will be pursuing legal advice against those responsible for making these false allegations towards me and my family, and strict action will be taken accordingly. We will not be discussing this matter further on social media. I urge everyone to avoid engaging with or entertaining these harmful narratives as it is essential to put an end to such behavior in our media culture," he concluded.

This follows just days after Pakistan media reported that captain Babar Azam will also take legal action against former cricketers and YouTubers who have accused the number one ranked ODI batsman in the world of misconduct during the course of the tournament.