Sipping milk tea at a cafe in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Friday morning, Jaffer Ahmed dissected the national cricket team’s unexpected loss to the United States.
“It’s unbelievable and embarrassing,” Ahmed, 26, said between bites of bread as he lamented the defeat with his friends. “We have a history of cricket, how can we lose to a country that doesn’t even have a cricket gene?”
Thursday’s loss to the United States in the men’s T20 World Cup was a humiliation for Pakistan, where cricket is its most popular sport and part of the national identity. The national team won the World Cup in 1992 under Imran Khan, who later parlayed his sporting fame into a political career that included becoming prime minister.
Many Americans did not realize the magnitude of their victory in Dallas. But this was felt keenly by the cricket-loving nation on the losing side. When fans woke up they began to try to digest what had happened, watching highlights from the game in the streets.
“We should teach the United States, not lose to them,” said Muhammad Sagheer, 32.
Fans were angry at the team’s poor performance. Feroz Shah, 30, said the players’ bad catches and missed bats handed the U.S. a crucial opportunity.
British-Pakistani cricket commentator Atif Nawaz says in the film that Pakistan has fallen on hard times, partly because recent leadership changes in the team and the national cricket board have damaged morale.
“For Pakistan fans who have rarely seen the dark ages, this is a bitter pill to swallow,” he wrote in the post. social media After Thursday’s game, he called it one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.
The United States, which has never participated in a World Cup, is a late bloomer on the international cricket stage. Ranked 18th in the world. Pakistan is ranked sixth. Thursday’s win was Team USA’s biggest yet.
Waqar Younis, the former coach of the Pakistan national team, wrote on social media: “Pakistan is exhausted and helpless on the field.” social media. “Congratulations to the United States on their overwhelming victory.”
American interest in cricket has grown along with the South Asian diaspora. Investors have poured more than $1 billion into promoting the sport nationwide. The domestic league played its first season last year and its team owners include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. In the World Cup, the United States team has a chance to advance to the Super 8.
Some Americans took to social media to celebrate the victory over Pakistan, with many in awe that U.S. star player Saurabh Netravalkar has a day job as a senior engineer at Oracle.
“Beating Pakistan was a great achievement, you know,” current captain Monank Patel said after the victory. “I’m really proud of the kids.”
Another concern echoed in Karachi’s cafes, where Ahmed was drinking tea with friends. Pakistan will face its biggest rival India on Sunday in a match that will dominate television screens in both countries.
“If we can’t defeat the United States, how can we defeat our old enemy India?” Sajeer said.
