On Friday morning, Jaffer Ahmed sipped milk tea at a cafe in the Pakistani city of Karachi and analyzed the reasons for the national cricket team's unexpected loss to the United States.
“It's unbelievable, so humiliating,” said Ahmed, 26, as he ate bread and lamented the defeat with his friends. “We have a cricket history, how can we lose to a country that doesn't even have cricket in its genes?”
Thursday at Men's T20 World Cup It is a humiliation in Pakistan. cricket It is the most popular sport and part of the national identity. The national team won the 1992 World Cup with Imran KhanHe later used his fame in the sports world to enter politics and became prime minister.
Many Americans didn't realize how significant their victory in Dallas was. But cricket fanatics on the losing side did. Fans woke up to the news, tried to process what had happened, and watched highlights of the match in the streets.
“We should learn from the United States,” said Mohammad Sahil, 32, “not lose to them.”
Fans were angry about their team's poor performance. Feroz Shah, 30, said players made mistakes in catching and batting, causing the United States to miss crucial chances, and he called Pakistan's match a disaster.
Aatif Nawaz, a British Pakistani cricket commentator, said in an interview that Pakistan has fallen on hard times partly because of recent leadership changes in the team and the national cricket board which have hurt morale. video.
“For Pakistan fans who have rarely experienced dark times, this is a bitter pill to swallow,” he wrote social media After Thursday's game, he called it one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.
The United States has never played in a World Cup and got a late start on the international cricket stage. grade The world ranking is No. 18. Pakistan is No. 6. Thursday's win was the biggest for the U.S. team yet.
“The Pakistani team looked exhausted and helpless on the field,” wrote Waqar Younis, the former coach of the Pakistan national team. social media. “Congratulations to the United States on its overwhelming victory.”
Americans' interest in cricket is growing. South Asian DiasporaInvestors are pouring in $1 billion The domestic league held its first season last year, and team owners include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. At the World Cup, the U.S. team Chance Advance to the Super 8.
Some Americans took to social media to celebrate their win over Pakistan, with many marveling at one of the U.S. star players Saurabh Netravalkarwho works as a senior engineer at Oracle during the day.
“It was a huge achievement to beat Pakistan,” said current captain Monank Patel. After the victory“I'm really proud of these boys.”
As Ahmed and his friends drank tea in a Karachi cafe, another worry was playing in their minds. Pakistan was about to face India. Its biggest competitorOn Sunday, the event will take place two countries.
“If we cannot defeat the United States, how can we defeat our arch-rival India?” Sahil said.
