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It started well. Slow and steady, with India’s bowlers throwing five wide balls in the first couple of overs. For a brief moment, there was hope for all Pakistan cricket fans. But the spark of joy was swiftly extinguished by India’s stunning performance.

The moment of hope

Initially, there was a shred of hope. X (formerly Twitter) users thought that Pakistan might win and that the Indian team was out of form.

People also came after Mohammed Shami for the five wide balls he threw to Pakistan.

Hope fades

And yet, the flickering spark of happiness for the Pakistan team was just that — flickering and fading. Pakistan’s Babar Azam, formerly known as King Bobby, got out to a Hardik Pandya delivery on the second ball of the ninth over as he found the batter’s outside edge after getting dispatched for a boundary.

The hope then evaporated.

Disdain for the former captain was evident in Pakistani netizens’ social media posts. Lowkey understandable.

Everything came crumbling down when Imam ul Haq was caught run out trying to steal a run by Axar Patel, sending both Pakistani openers to the pavilion.

While fans of Hardik Pandya celebrated how the bowler came in “clutch”, Pakistanis were stumped by Imam’s performance.

One netizen went so far as to throw it back to the silent man from Munna Bhai MBBS and said he had more life in him than Babar and Imam.

An X user reminded everyone that the wide balls that brought so much hope scored more runs than Imam.

The best tweet was a picture of Imam and Rizwan, which an X user had edited text over and made it seem as if both the players wanted to stand around while the other ran for points. We wonder if this actually happened, because it seems probable.

The rage

By the 34th over, Pakistan had only made 154 runs — for context one over is six balls, so 34 overs mean they made 154 runs on 204 balls — and this is when Mohammed Rizwan, the captain fell. Soon after, the others began to fall like, well, wickets when India is bowling against Pakistan apparently because there is no better analogy.

People questioned if Rizwan remembered that he was a batsman, and honestly we couldn’t help but wonder the same.

After Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi came in and was out immediately. On the first ball.

A fan reminded us that Pakistan made more dots than runs in 25 overs. Ridiculous.

Meanwhile, as Pakistan’s glacial innings continued, a social media user said, “Watching Pakistan in the middle overs is like sitting under the sun… painful, frustrating”.

Pakistan hit their first six! But it was in the 42nd over of the match. Once again, for context, there are 50 overs in one innings. Fans didn’t know if they should celebrate or sob. Both, was our answer.

India bats

After Pakistan were all out for 241 in the last over, India came up to bat. Needless to say, hope wasn’t even in the arena for fans of the team.

We asked Dawn.com staffers what they thought at the halfway mark, and save for one or two people, “disappointment” was in the air at Pakistan’s “horrendous” performance. Even our most hopeful had lost their spark.

As batter Shubman Gill and veteran Rohit Sharma took to the field, people were quick to remind us that Pakistan’s first six came in the 42nd over, while India scored theirs during the second over. Sobbing uncontrollably was the only reaction.

And yet, as Alexander Pope said, hope springs eternal. In a phenomenal moment, Shaheen came back with a blinder, knocking back Rohit Sharma’s stumps with an inswinging delivery targeting his pads. We celebrated.

For a moment, people thought India would face some trouble.

They were wrong. India did not face trouble. India continued to sail smoothly and hit one four after another, as Pakistan tried one after the other to catch balls — and missed.

After all, as one netizen put it, it’s Pakistan’s tradition to drop one catch after another in matches against India.

Pakistan’s seasoned fans were used to the pain. So much so that they didn’t even have it in them to react.

Another X user reminded us that this wasn’t just a match, it was emotional damage waiting to happen. While another person said that watching Pakistan play was worse than heartbreak.

A cricket fan said we were helpless and couldn’t be saved from the “torment” that was cricket. He urged people to make their children watch football instead and “let this sport go to the graveyard with us”.

A humble plea came from one X user who asked the Indian cricket team to get over their rivalry with Pakistan and focus on teams like Australia instead. “You should be ashamed for bullying children.”

Meanwhile, someone reminded us to accept “that Pakistan players are mediocre and have no comparison with Indian cricketers.

“Gone are the days when Pakistan produced quality stuff. The current bunch of players at best can represent any club but not the highest level of the game.”

Calls to sack players

During Pakistan’s — let’s be honest — abysmal performance, many called for certain players to be removed from the team, with some even “boycotting” the team.

Diehard King Bobby fans, however, did not waver in their support for the batsman. After all, delulu is always the only solulu.

The cute moments

It wouldn’t be a complete coverage if we didn’t tell you about the heartwarming stuff. This included Babar and Kohli “vibing like cousins”.

Kohli also helped Naseem tie his shoes when the bowler’s laces came undone! No wonder he always wins hearts (along with matches). As overheard in our office, “He ties shoelaces, he scores a century. He’s a knight.”

The end

And that brings our saga to an end. Pakistan, well they came and played. To all the heartbroken cricket fans, perhaps now is the time to switch to another sport.