LAHORE – It was comparatively a dull sight in the city after Pakistan lost the World Cup semi-final to India on Wednesday.
“We missed out on all the crucial catches. Had we cashed in all such moments we would have been in a better position,” said Arkam Chaudry, while Aasia Afzal said, “I think it was a good cricket match and Pakistan did work hard and that is what counts.”
“It brought the nation together and the Pakistani team did well in the tournament,” said Shaukat and agreeing to Shaukat Mustafa said, “I think what happened, happened for the good. I am happy that the Pakistanis played like a team.”
“It’s okay if we didn’t make it through… we tried at least,” said Asadullah. “We showed our enthusiasm… Pakistan is a nation full of energies and we certainly conveyed our massage,” said Akbar Rana.
MATCH FEVER: The match was like a dream everyone in the city had waited for. The long awaited day, when Pakistan faced India in the cricket arena and that too in the World Cup semi-finals, brought a festive air filled with adrenaline. With the Punjab government’s announcement of a half working day, the city turned inside out and everything went green. Clothes, flags, cafes, restaurants, hotels, cars and skins almost everything was soaked in green; the match fever was high. It was like a true festival.
Unusual traffic patterns were seen in the morning time throughout the city. It seemed like everyone was in a rush before the match had started. The streets were seen clogged before the match and right after the match started, no one was seen on the streets.
The public were seen travelling from one place to another to get stationed for the match. A hassle was seen on the roads as the public prepared for the match in their own way. Some were going home from offices to enjoy the match with their family, some heading towards cafes and restaurants, some being invited to exclusive screening while other collecting food stuffs for the main event, everyone seemed busy.
Pakistani cricket team shirts were undoubtedly the most common manner of showing support for their country. A great number of people were seen wearing the cricket team shirts. Other than the shirts, face-paints were very commonly seen.
The screening of the match was organized in every corner of the city. The main event of the city was organized at the Qaddafi Stadium where hundreds of cricket fans gathered to watch the mighty clash. As soon as the match kicked off all the main arteries of the city went deserted. The Mall, Jail Road, Ferozpur Road and the Canal Bank Road had spooked out. All the media charged fans were busy watching the match. People were seen standing near any screen they came across.
“Such conditions of the roads are seen only on festivals like Eids only, hardly any traffic was seen on the roads”, said Yasir Habbib Khan. People would start dancing on every shot by Pakistani batsmen. Firecrackers and gunshots were fired on every crucial score. Some people had brought the TV sets out of the houses for other people to watch and enjoy.
