Dawn Images

Host and rapper Ahmed Ali Butt, like most other Pakistanis, was heartbroken to hear of Pakistan’s rout in Sunday’s high-stakes game against India. The team’s third game of the T-20 World Cup ended in a humiliating loss where Pakistan fell 61 runs short of their target.

Taking his frustration to the internet, he posted an Instagram story saying the game had been “dead for years now” owing to a lack of talent, accountability, motivation and other critical elements in the men’s team.

Butt suggested that players were more interested in politics, brand deals, social media and other such pursuits. He said the game was no longer much more than a “cash cow” and that “they will milk it till it bleeds out”.

He was understandably not alone in holding these views. Screenwriter Yasir Hussain had earlier shared a clip of former skipper Shahid Afridi saying if he were in charge, he’d have benched senior players like Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, even his son-in-law, Shaheen Afridi, to give new players a chance to take the field.

“If the seniors are not performing, bring in the juniors,” Shahid told anchors on Samaa TV in the clip. Hussain said the cricketer’s advice must be heeded.

Actor Maya Ali said it would’ve been better had we just not played the match entirely, likely referring to Pakistan’s threats of boycotting the match after a dispute between Bangladesh, India, and the International Cricket Council left the Bangladeshi cricket team unable to participate in the tournament.

Actor Nabeel Zafar quipped about the Pakistan cricket team keeping their word. “They said they wouldn’t play against India, and they didn’t.”

Veteran TV and radio host Tauseeq Haider sent the team a message in Punjabi saying, “‘God is with us, God will grant us victory,’ there are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan. Your skills are the problem, your game is the problem, fix them; we’re tired of praying for you.”

Hania Aamir had a sixth sense of what was about to transpire, commenting after Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl, “That’s the only thing we’re winning tonight.” Actor Bilal Qureshi, meanwhile, also joked that “in cricket, you can either receive applause or curses.”

As memes do their last rounds and the Instagram stories of backlash expire, what remains is a familiar, hollow feeling. Not simply because Pakistan lost to India — that rivalry has always come with its own theatre — but because the outrage now feels cyclical. A poor performance, a social media pile-on, calls for accountability, promises of reform, and then, somehow, the same script the next tournament.

Haider’s right. Prayers are not a strategy. Talent, discipline and long-term planning are. Until those are prioritised, the Pakistan vs. India cricket story risks being rewritten.