‘Don't play with our emotions,’ fans slam Pakistan team after India loss

DUBAI: Hosts and defending champions Pakistan suffered a gruelling six-wicket defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The defeat marked their second in as many games and put them on the verge of an early exit from the eight-team tournament.

Reacting to the defeat, Pakistan fans took to social media to express their disappointment and called for a complete revamp.

One enthusiast urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to rope in former cricketers like Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Hafeez and Salman Butt in the management and rebuild the national team.

“Hire [Shoaib Akhtar], [Wasim Akram], [Mohammad Hafeez] and [Salman Butt] in [PCB]. Make bold decisions. Drop all and rebuild team. Fix cricket at root level. Don't play with our emotions,” a fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Another cricket fan reiterated the flaws in Pakistan’s squad selection and questioned the national team and players’ mindset.

“Called it. Like so many others did. This squad was not ever going to win us the [Champions Trophy 2025] you simply didn’t have a winning mindset or the right players to execute a winning plan (if you even had one that is),” a user wrote on X.

A fan criticised Naseem Shah for his recent performances and demanded that the pacer should sharpen his skills by playing domestic cricket.

“Naseem Shah could have bowled till tomorrow morning and I still doubt he would have picked up a wicket. He needs to go back to red ball and for heaven’s sake find a good mentor who can elevate your game. Pace is only impressive with control,” another user wrote.

Batting first, Pakistan could only amass 241 runs before getting bowled out in the final over.

India, in response, comfortably chased down the target for the loss of four wickets and 45 balls, thanks to a masterful century by their ace batter Virat Kohli.