In the end, the end came sooner than most expected. If a batting collapse had scripted Pakistan’s ouster from the World Cup 2015, it was hastened by sloppy bowling and dropped catches against a relatively strong Australian team. With the third quarter final, all hopes of an India versus Pakistan semifinal have ended, as India will now meet Australia in the semifinals.

The match was even more crucial for many fans of Pakistani cricket, as along with it ended the One Day International careers of star batsman and captain Misbah-Ul-Haq as well as livewire Shahid Afridi, who both got a rather unfitting send back from the tournament and the game.

The team was bowled out for a measly 213 and Australia found it easy to chase it down once they got going, with a little help from Pakistani fielders who dropped a few sitters to give the batsmen lifelines they didn’t need.

Pakistan’s big loss in a crucial game, especially after they seemed to have been recovering from their bad form at the start of the tournament, has angered many in and outside the country. It’s nothing that we haven’t seen before, as many fans were reported to have broken TV sets in the country after Pakistan lost to India in February, but the anger seems a bit more intense this time, as the team showed no stomach for a fight and crashed out of the tournament rather listlessly.

The Tribune reported that some fans resorted to breaking TV sets in anger and organised mock funerals for the cricket bat after the loss.


Some reactions to Pakistan's exit from the... by etribune

Here’s a selection of some of the images that sum up the reactions of the Pakistani fans on social media.