When tempers flare up

Islamabad
Tempers of the people flared up on Saturday after the national cricket team suffered the second consecutive defeat in the World Cup, with the management, selectors and players together getting the blame for the humiliation.
Fans stayed awake during the early hours of the day to watch the match, the second after the one lost to arch-rival India, at home and in cafés but were frustrated to see the Green Shirts get out at a mere 160 in 39 overs against the 310 runs target set by Windies.
Teens and youths stepped out to give vent to their anger in various ways.
They were so furious that while heaping rude remarks on team, they torn posters of players, especially seniors, to pieces and trampled on them.
At some places, even token funeral of the cricket team was held and effigies of its members, especially chairman, were torched. There are also reports of angry men smashing old TV sets on the roads.
“Before the match, the management and selectors claimed the team’s top order was in good form but the way it played the game today was shocking and hurtful. The first four wickets for only one run… It’s simply intolerable. Those responsible for it must be liable to accountability,” intermediate student Hamaad Jan said.
Jamil Chaudhry’s sentiments were not different.
“I along with other members of family woke up in the wee hours to watch the match. We all hoped the team would assuage our pain caused by its loss to India in the first fixture but they let us down badly yet again.
“Losing match is part of the game but offering victory to rivals on a silver platter is unacceptable. It’s not a World Cup squad by any standards,” the software engineer said.
The 29-year-old felt that from the Pakistan Cricket Board to team selectors to management to players, everyone shared the blame for the humiliating defeat.
“It’s a collective failure. First, the board picked wrong people for the job from the selection committee to coaches, then selectors made wrong choices for the match, and in the end, players, especially seniors, put up a really poor show. Everyone is to blame,” he said.
However, some fans kept their fingers crossed.
“The game is not over yet. We can make a comeback but only if we go to the field next time with a proper planning, cohesion and above the all the spirit to perform,” Afzaal Khan, 22, said.