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Pakistan fans upset

Pakistan's shock defeat against India in the cricket World Cup match yesterday triggered demands in Pakistan for the removal of several players from the national team.

Angry cricket fans accused Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar and Inzamam-ul Haq of playing irresponsibly and bringing shame to the nation during the match on Tuesday, reports said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, an avid cricketer, did not watch the crucial match on television, but instead visited people hit by a cyclone in Sindh coastal areas.

''I was advised to postpone the visit for the match, but I declined because my contest is against poverty,'' the premier told a gathering of the cyclone victims, according the newspaper Jang.

Imran Khan, who won the 1992 cricket World Cup for Pakistan, had predicted, in a newspaper article, that India, trailing far behind Pakistan in current Cup matches, would come up from behind and may even make it to the final.

UNI