It's happened so many times. Whenever the national team plays a match (especially against India), fans go berserk. Girls who've never held a cricket bat or ball are shown on TV saying confidently that Pakistan will win. Heavily bearded men who've never played cricket except with a tennis ball give their opinions on which players should be selected. It does get sickening.

This time, Pakistan managed to reach the finals after narrowly beating Afghanistan and India. When Afghanistan lost against Pakistan, their supporters lost their heads and caused a lot of damage to the Sharjah stadium. About four hundred of them were fined heavily, with some even being deported. But when Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup there was jubilation amongst Afghan nationals living in Karachi. 

But I digress. Pakistanis (most of whom were confident their team would win) did not react so emotionally. But they did comment on the outcome of the match, as if they're seasoned cricketers. Some criticized the captain Babar Awan who did not score much in the whole tournament. Others talked of kicking out Fakhar Zaman, another batsman who failed to perform. But none praised the professionalism of the Sri Lankans, who looked beaten when they had lost five wickets for only 58, but then managed to regain and finished with a good score. Their fielding was superb, compared to that of Pakistan's team, who failed by missing many catches. 

I hope the Pakistan team management learns a lesson from the lost match, which their team could have won without effort.

 

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