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Today's Paper | December 22, 2024

Updated 23 Mar, 2015 05:14am

A hero's welcome for Sarfaraz as Pakistan team returns

KARACHI: The Pakistan cricket team returned late Sunday night after crashing of the quarter finals of the Cricket World Cup 2015 at the Adelaide Oval .

Most of the players shied away from reporters and cameramen present at the airport and made their exit from the Hajj terminal amid tight security.

But star batsman and wicket keeper Sarfraz Ahmed reached his residence in Karachi to a warm welcome and fanfare organised by supporters and family members.

Also read: Goodbye to World Cup

A large number of his fans decorated the streets around his residence.

Some joyfully shouted the slogan "Sarfaraz dhoka nahin dega (Sarfaraz will not betray us)" - a dialogue borrowed from wildly popular Indian film PK - that has come to symbolise the confidence his followers have in the cricketer's ability.

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Talking to the media, pacer Wahab Riaz - whose aggressive bowling to Watson was the silver lining for cricket-obsessed fans - sought pardon from the nation over the team's failure to battle through the Cricket World Cup 2015.

He said, "It would be a great success if we had defeated Australia."

He said that Australia managed to cinch victory with a good game.

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Riaz said that he had no personal conflict with Watson and he only wanted to put the batsman under pressure.

Wahab Riaz, Muhammad Irfan, Sohaib Maqsood Aahsan Adil, Ahmed Shahzad, Misbah-ul-Haq, Omer Akmal, Haris Sohail, Nasir Jamshaid and Rahat Ali also arrived on the same flight.

Pakistan's defeat at the hands of Australia on Friday ended the one-day international careers of two veterans in captain Misbah-ul-Haq and all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

Pakistan, who had won the toss and elected to bat, were shot out for 213, with one ball to spare, as fast bowler Josh Hazlewood grabbed four wickets and Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell took two each.

Haris Sohail's 41 was the top score. Three other batsmen settled down to reach 20 but were unable to build on their starts.

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