KARACHI: Pakistan cricket fans were hurt and angry Friday after a stunning T20 World Cup loss to hosts the United States, describing it as a historic rock-bottom for their beloved national sport.
“I am distraught,” said retired banker Raju Jameel, who was close to tears after staying up late to watch the match on big screens in a shopping district in Karachi.
“It’s hurtful and shameful, and there must be a thorough investigation of this defeat.”
A Super Over thriller in Texas saw T20 World Cup debutants the United States beat the 2022 finalists and 2009 winners in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the competition.
“There can be no bigger shock for Pakistan cricket than this,” said former international and now cricket analyst Sikander Bakht on Geo TV, the country’s most popular private news channel.
“It is like Pakistan beating America at basketball.”
While cricket is a national obsession in Pakistan, it barely registers in the United States, leaving most Americans either bewildered or apathetic over their momentous victory.
Commentators resorted to baseball metaphors to explain the magnitude of the Americans’ achievement to domestic audiences.
But Pakistani fans had hunched over screens of all sizes late into the night, expecting to celebrate an easy win.
Instead, Friday was a “black day in Pakistan cricket,” according to former batsman Basit Ali, who blamed the loss on poor squad selection by captain Babar Azam.
“He has been consistently selecting players who are close to him and that has put paid to Pakistan’s chances,” he told AFP.
“I think our cricket has not seen a worst day,” added former Pakistan wicketkeeper and batsman Kamran Akmal.
In one of Islamabad’s marketplaces, 38-year-old Mohammad Amjad Abbasi counted off the decades of Pakistan’s international cricket experience compared to the fledging USA side.
“Our Pakistan team has become weak,” he told AFP. “I don’t enjoy watching matches anymore.
“Their performance is disappointing, the way they play in the end is always humiliating for us.”
Both teams made 159 in their standard 20 overs of the Group A match at Grand Prairie, near Dallas, Texas.
Then competition co-hosts the United States, batting first in a Super Over, made an 18 that featured several wides and runs off panic-stricken overthrows.
Pakistan were unable to match them, and the 7,000-seat converted minor-league baseball park in the Dallas suburbs erupted with celebrations around 1:00am Pakistan time.
“This time it felt like our team was the new one, and USA was a world-class team,” said 54-year-old government employee Dilshad Akhtar in Islamabad.
“It can’t be that we can play this badly.”
So little was the interest in the game in the US that it was not broadcast on TV there. But photos of Pakistan’s fumbling performance were plastered across Friday’s morning papers in the South Asian nation.
“Disastrous start as minnows US edge out Pakistan,” read a headline in the English-language Dawn newspaper, considered the national paper of record.
“Babar Azam’s men have been pinned to the wall at the very start of their campaign,” it said, calling it a “humbling loss.”
“US stun sloppy Pakistan,” said The News International newspaper.
Pakistan next play arch-rivals India in New York on Sunday in the competition co-hosted with the West Indies, with the final slated for June 29 — if Pakistan get that far.
The 54-year-old Master Saifullah in Islamabad was skeptical that disillusioned fans would tune in ever again.
“Honestly, I just don’t feel like watching them anymore,” he said.
‘Black day’: Pakistan reels from USA T20 World Cup stunner
https://arab.news/n5nrc
‘Black day’: Pakistan reels from USA T20 World Cup stunner
- A Super Over thriller in Texas saw T20 World Cup debutants the United States beat the 2022 finalists and 2009 winners in one of the biggest upsets
- While cricket is an obsession in Pakistan, it barely registers in the US, leaving most Americans either bewildered or apathetic over momentous win
Last-gasp strike keeps Al-Nassr top of SPL in Ronaldo’s absence
- Luis Maximiano denied Al-Nassr 9 times on nine occasions before Mohamed Simakan scored in stoppage time
- Al-Qadsiah still seek to mount unlikely title challenge after defeating Al-Kholood 4-1
DAMMAM: There was a sense of concern in the Al-Nassr camp this week. Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury was deemed more serious than initially believed by Jorge Jesus, prompting the Portuguese star to travel to Spain for treatment.
That meant that Al-Nassr’s pursuit of the title would be hindered by the absence of their leading scorer.
It was only last month, however, that Ronaldo missed two league games for Al-Nassr due to his dissatisfaction with the club’s performance during the winter transfer window. Al-Nassr won both games, but Ronaldo returned to silence his doubters, scoring four across their next five fixtures.
The reality is that after a mid-season blip, Jesus has revived the spirit within his squad. Al-Nassr came into their clash against Neom on a 10-game winning streak. It was the second time this season they had reached that mark, before Al-Ettifaq halted their run with a draw in late December.
This time, Al-Nassr were determined to break that 10-match ceiling. Standing in their way was a Neom side stuck in mid-table but talented enough to cause problems and playing with little pressure.
Replacing Ronaldo was Abdullah Al-Hamdan. After scoring the decisive goal against Arkadag in the AFC Champions League Two Round of 16 first leg — as well as the strike that sealed Al-Nassr’s victory against Al-Fayha last week — optimism around the former Al-Hilal forward was high.
Unfortunately for Al-Hamdan, he was brought back down to earth. Five attempts on goal — including a poor effort in the 63rd minute after what had been Al-Nassr’s clearest opportunity — summed up his evening. He was replaced moments later by Abdulrahman Ghareeb as Al-Nassr searched for new solutions to break down Christophe Galtier’s side.
Neom proved difficult to dismantle as a unit and even tougher in individual duels. Despite Al-Nassr focusing much of their attacking play down the left to exploit the space behind Mohammed Al-Burayk, the trio of Amadou Kone, Awn Al-Saluli and Nathan Zeze repeatedly shut them down.
Angelo Gabriel’s return to the starting line-up was a welcome sight for Al-Nassr supporters but although he posed a threat and showed flashes of creativity on the ball, the hosts were wasteful in front of goal. With 24 shots and nine saves by Luis Maximiano, it felt like a game where a draw would feel like defeat.
Joao Felix was by far Al-Nassr’s most influential attacking outlet. His subtle movement between the lines created passing options through Neom’s defensive block and he threatened Maximiano’s goal on several occasions occasion, though without success.
Most notably, two shots within the space of a minute saw Felix denied by the Portuguese goalkeeper. Al-Nassr threw numbers forward, practically stationed on the edge of the box, but he remained unbeatable.
The final 10 minutes saw the Neom goalkeeper kick into a different gear. In the 83rd minute, Angelo wriggled into the box and delivered a low cross to Sadio Mane, whose close-range effort was parried away. A minute later, Felix found himself on the edge of the six-yard box with a clear sight of goal, only for Maximiano to produce a stunning save with his shin.
In the final moments of the game, it seemed that Jorge Jesus and Al-Nassr had finally learned from their earlier frustrations and Al-Nassr finally found their way past Maximiano in stoppage time.
It was none other than Felix who created the breakthrough, delivering a dangerous cross from a free-kick, but it was not an attacker who applied the finish.
Mohamed Simakan rose above the Neom defense to power home the header at the death, sealing a 1-0 victory and securing the all-important three points to keep Al-Nassr’s advantage at the top of the table.
Elsewhere in the Saudi Pro League, Al-Qadsiah continue to keep the pressure on the top three, with a decisive 4-1 victory against Al-Kholood, which was due to be played on Thursday before Al-Qadsiah’s initial flight to Qassim. Mateo Retegui and Julian Quinones both scored a brace on the road to victory.
Meanwhile, Al-Okhdood suffered a damaging 5-0 defeat to Al-Fayha to remain deep in the relegation zone, while Al-Ettifaq and Al-Shabab shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at E’GO Stadium in Dammam.
With the conclusion of Matchday 25, the title race is set to intensify with nine match weeks remaining. Al-Nassr remain top on 64 points, with Al-Ahli in second on 62, Al-Hilal in third on 61 and Al-Qadsiah in fourth on 57.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Thursday, with the Eastern Province playing host to all title contenders. On Friday, Al-Qadsiah host Al-Ahli in Dammam before Saturday sees Al-Fateh welcome Al-Hilal and Al-Khaleej take on Al-Nassr.
