After an anti-climactic match between seasoned cricket rivals India and Pakistan on Sunday, the verdict is clear as to which side played better. India cruised to a comfortable victory in every department, be it in the batting or bowling sides, making the match less battle than a walkover.
Naturally, as is the case with the internet, fans of the winning side were victorious in their meme game. But what of the fans of the Pakistani team?
Banter was the name of the game on Twitter and elsewhere, as Pakistanis cracked jokes at the expense of their team. Shireen Mazari, the state’s human rights minister, blamed “sheesha smoking” for the team’s lethargy on the pitch.
When the captain is yawning on the field & the fielding is non existent; & when sheesha smoking is indulged in hours before the match - what can one expect but humiliation. That the captain decided to let India bat first was simply the last straw! Or was that Malik's instant out?
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) June 16, 2019
She went on to commend the Indian side’s performance and highlight Sarfaraz Ahmed's yawning on the field.
Hate to admit it but today there was a professional well-gelled cricket team that was the Indian team & a bunch of stragglers disconnected & led by a yawning captain that passed for the Pak team! Winning & losing r part of the game but there must be a modicum of professionalism!
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) June 16, 2019
However, being a minister, Shireen’s response was relatively mellow compared to that of the larger body of Pakistani fans on the internet. Fans had many contentions, and fitness was one. One
Pakistan fans reaction after losing match with india in world cup pic.twitter.com/riP9wbFbyB
— Nomula srinivas (@Nomulasrinivas4) June 18, 2019
Pakistan’s disastrous decision to bowl first was an easy target.
Sarfraz: We'll bowl first and try to hit more wickets
— Khabees Orat (@Khabeees) June 16, 2019
Kohli after 230-1 and 39 overs: pic.twitter.com/geSEDUhAy1
From his yawning on the field to his failure to lead the team to victory, Sarfaraz Khan found himself at the butt of many jokes.
*Sarfaraz leading pakistan from front* pic.twitter.com/A4yx6DAj5O
— Omar 🚬 (@omar_bulao) June 16, 2019
Some users used TikTok to poke at the feeling of being a Pakistani wicketkeeper trying to organize the fielders against a relentless Indian batting lineup.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA pic.twitter.com/aAJnfVpO3z
— A h m e d (@Ahlvled_) June 17, 2019
So deep was the disappointment in the team’s performance that the censure soon fell on England, who lost by 14 runs to Pakistan despite players scoring two centuries.
Two minutes of silence for England who lost against this team.
— Haroon (@ThisHaroon) June 16, 2019
The most popular troll has to be the fan who issued a mock press conference claiming the players were eating burgers the night before the match.
Full version of Nautanki👇
— Jaffaism (@Jaffaism007) June 17, 2019
Crazy #Pakistan fans!!
Boys are eating burger, pizza. No fitness. Less money to buy tickets. Paki players have distroyed his dream 🤣😂😹#INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/lh1E9W1P52
After a point, once the trolling got too intense, the team’s bowler, Mohammad Amir, issued an appeal for players to stop swearing at them, promising a comeback. Proving that the banter was in good spirits, many fans retweeted his post.
Pls dont use bad words for the players yes u guys can criticise our performance we will bounce back InshAllah we need ur support 🙏🙏🙏
— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) June 17, 2019
All in all, the fans proved that you can turn any situation into a bright one by using humour. While the Pakistan squad has reason to introspect, hopefully the energy of their fans will bring them back to spirits when they play South Africa on June 21, followed by a match against New Zealand on June 26.