Everything was depicted in a bad light - Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam reveal the onslaught they received post defeat to India

07/09/2019

Imam ul-Haq and Babar Azam have stated how they were placed under the scanner and trolled mercilessly for things related and unrelated to the game after their defeat to India. They explained how they felt personally and as a unit when the fans humiliated them based on their personal lives.

India faced off against Pakistan at Old Trafford in Manchester on the 16th of June in what was labelled as the match to watch out for as far as the round-robin stages are concerned, since it rarely gets bigger than a meeting between the two arch rivals. India had never lost to the Green Army in six World Cup matches before, but the young blood in the neighbour team looked determined to change that

However, it was not to be as India had ended up winning comfortably by 89 runs. It has almost been a month since the defeat but it still pinches the players as much. The reactions that had followed the match were unimaginable, be it the players being accused of not giving their all or being unfit to wear national colours, to abuse directed towards their families and personal lives. It all escalated very quickly and lasted in full ferocity till their next match which unfortunately was as much as a week later.

"Everything was depicted in a bad light after that India defeat. There were always going to be questions on where were we eating and what we were eating. Such reactions are natural,” 24-year-old Babar Azam explained in an interview to Cricbuzz.

Their captain received the majority of the flak after media channels and social media followers caught hold of a clip where he was seen glimpsing between balls. People questioned his spirit and integrity, before going as far as to reaching out to him in public places and trolling him in impolite ways

"Even if he has yawned, it is quite natural. It happens to me and Imam as well, sometimes while we are batting. But, everyone made memes on it,” Azzam said defending his skipper.

"I don't use the social media during the tours because it is only going to upset me. We also have personal lives and families. If you people are going to keep an eye on where we are going, what are we doing, or how we are sleeping, it is going to create difficulties for us and hamper us from performing,” his teammate Imam-ul-Haq added on the matter.

Pakistan ended the World Cup on a triumphant note against Bangladesh but failed to perform up to expectations, ending up in the fifth spot and just missing out on a semi final spot on the basis of net run rate. However, the bad experience of losing to India or to be precise, the treatment by their followers that followed the defeat, seems to be something that has had a long term impact on the youngsters.

"We all were very emotional after the defeat and wanted to win that game because nobody wants to lose to India. You can criticise us all you want on our cricket, but it shouldn't have to do anything with our personal life, because it is hurtful," the left-handed opener concluded on the matter.