They all waited with bated breath to see the team do the impossible. As India kept losing wickets at regular intervals in the final of the Champions Trophy on Sunday, the Pakistani fans knew they were closer to winning the title. But even then, they were quiet, waiting for the final moment.
And just when skipper Sarfraz Ahmed caught Jasprit Bumrah to seal the deal, the crowd couldn’t control their emotions any longer. After completing the Iftar, the Pakistani fans in all the major cities — Lahore, Islamabad,Karachi, Rawalpindi — took to the streets to celebrate the team’s historic win.
While the fans cheered their heart out, the television cameras rushed to the homes of Sarfraz, Mohammad Amir — their families were yet to come to terms with the historic achievement.
“We still can’t believe that our boys have beaten India to win the title,” Sarfraz’s elder brother Shafiq Ahmed told Sportstar from Karachi on Sunday evening. Amidst the cheering of fans, he said, “A lot of people have gathered in our house. It is time for celebration for all of us. This is a big moment.”
Things were no different in Amir’s house. While his brother Ijaz watched the match along with the other family members, the media and the local fans gathered at their residence soon after Pakistan won the game. “There are so many people gathered here. It is a big moment for all of us, but then, it is really getting tough to manage so many people at home,” Ijaz said with laughter.
Sarfraz’s father in-law Syed Aftab Ali Shah too watched the game with his family and prayed for the team’s success. “It was great to see someone from your family creating history for Pakistan. It is a great feeling,” Aftab said after the match.
If the family members of the cricketers had an exciting evening, the media and the fans were nervy. “In the month of Ramzan, even as the fans visited the mosque for the daily prayers and Iftars, eyes were glued to the television screen. Once the victory was ensured, everyone hit the road,” seasoned sports journalist Nasim Rajput said.
When Pakistan lost to India in the tournament opener a couple of weeks back, some of the Pakistani fans had set the television sets on fire. But on Sunday, it was all about basking in the glory. As Sarfraz’s men posed with the trophy, fans couldn’t stop shouting slogans. At the Oval one could hear ‘ Dil, Dil,Pakistan ’
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