KARACHI: There were rare tit-for-tat chants of ‘Babar, Babar, …’ and ‘Kohli, Kohli, …’ in the crowd. It was only a friendly banter.

The ambience was festive. It was a bright sunny afternoon with a gentle breeze — a perfect condition for the game of cricket — in Karachi on Saturday.

“My favourite player is [former Indian captain] M.S. Dhoni,” said Krishna, a 13-year-old fan wearing Indian team’s jersey with Dhoni’s name printed on it, when approached by Dawn during the ICC Champions Trophy match between England and South Africa at the National Bank Stadium.

“I am backing England team due to Jos Buttler,” the class eight student added whi­le noting that poor batting let Pakistan down in the event.

Kamal, Krishna’s uncle wearing a shirt with the name of star Indian batter Virat Kohli written on its back, was favouring South Africa.

“They are playing good cricket,” Kamal, 23 said.

On whom he admires most, he instantly said, “Kohli is my favourite batter. It is my dream to meet him, at least once in my life. He is my life.”

The high-profile teams like South Africa and England fighting it out in their last group match should have attracted fans in big numbers to the venue.

But it was almost the opposite when one glanced around the stands with a sparse crowd sitting separately in small clusters.

They looked relaxed yet silently disgruntled — not showing their suppressed emotions for the Green-shirts.

The Pakistan team exited the eight-nation event after embarrassing losses to New Zealand and India in group stage. The fans were enjoying the game. However, on being asked, they expressed their displeasure. The wounds, one felt, are deep.

“It is better the game betw­een Pakistan and Bangladesh [Rawalpindi] was washed out. Had that match been played, our team would have lost it too. They simply don’t have the required skills to win,” Ibrahim, a depressed-looking teenage student, told Dawn during Saturday’s match.

A number of spectators explicitly pointed towards “wrong team selection” which they reckoned had dented Mohammad Rizwan and his men in the Champions Trophy.

“First of all, the team selection was wrong. Pakistan, like other teams, should have included more full-time spinners [for spin-friendly conditions]. With Abrar Ahmed as the lone specialist spinner in the squad, Pakistan could not succeed in their plans. Same happened with England who had only [leg-spinner] Adil Rashid, and no wonder they also faltered badly,” Nadeem-ul-Haq, a middle-aged spectator who was watching the game alongside his family, said.

“Secondly, our [top-order] batters take too much pressure by playing too slow particularly in the powerplay.”

On why Babar did not click in the Champions Trophy, he said the right-handed batter was put under added pressure.

“Babar with his strokes looked in good touch but was put under too much [added] pressure,” he underlined. “Basically, he is not an opener but was still made to open the innings, a move which did not work for Pakistan. He should bat at number three where he has performed prolifically in his career.”

Replying to a question on what problem Babar faces, Mohammad Nasar who was sporting an England shirt, said, “It is a matter of mindset which in the case of our players, including Babar, is unfortunately defensive.

“Our batters lack [top-level] fitness and match awareness due to which they cannot play long innings robustly,” the 18-year-old, who plays club cricket, added.

Mohammad Amir, a 24-year-old who himself plays hard ball cricket, was also not happy with the Pakistan team’s selection.

“The right team was not selected; a specialist spinner must have been included,” the 24-year-old, wearing a Pakistan team shirt and supporting South Africa mainly due to Heinrich Klaasen, said.

The natural and usual support for Pakistan in the Champions Trophy was pretty obvious among the youngsters.

“After Pakistan?” was the instant query from Abdul Rafay, a 16-year-old matric student, when asked which team he supported in the eight-nation event.

He continued, “[After Pakistan’s exit] I am backing South Africa to win as they have not clinched any major global title yet.”

“Our team is not strong enough to compete with only one specialist spinner,” Moosa, sitting alongside his cousin Rafay, said, as England pacer Jofra Archer cleaned up South African opener Ryan Rickelton to a big applause from the spectators.

Some followers of the game wanted a major overhaul of Pakistan cricket.

“Many individuals [players and officials] in our cricket system have to be sent home as they have failed to produce desired results time and again,” Hasnain, a 27-year-old software developer, said firmly when asked what was wrong with Pakistan cricket.

“The mindset of our players has to be changed in accordance with the modern demands of the game. Even [at times] Bangladesh’s top-order batters make runs faster than our players in the first powerplay [first 10 overs].”

Australia, the current world champions, also had their followers in the crowd.

“Australia will win the Cha­m­pions Trophy,” the 18-year-old Ayan said when asked who will clinch the coveted title. “Their batting is strong and their bowlers manage to control things despite missing three top fast bowlers.”

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2025