Pakistan celebrated one of its biggest cricket victories on Sunday, defeating arch-rivals India by 180 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final at The Oval in London. The last time Pakistan won a major 50-over ICC tournament was also during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, when Imran Khan led his team over England in the 1992 final at Melbourne, Australia. It was a remarkable turnaround of form for Pakistan, ranked No. 8 in the eight-team tournament.
After the game, thrilled Pakistani supporters took the streets of London to celebrate. A sense of euphoria gripped Pakistan soon after their team upstaged a strong Indian side. Massive traffic jams were witnessed as people came out on the roads in their cars and motorcycles, waving Pakistani flags and raising slogans, celebrating the big win.
Young boys and girls, wearing the Pakistan jersey, danced to the beat of Dhol while others distributed sweets and even resorted to aerial firing to express their delight.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, President Mamnoon Hussain and former Test captains led the wave of congratulatory messages for the Pakistan team and captain, Sarfraz Ahmed soon after the final ended.
"The Pakistan team has done us proud and played very well to win the final. Congratulations to the team for winning the Champions Trophy," Sharif said.
"It is after all a cricket game but I am so happy to see the heart shown by this young team to win a big final To comeback from such a massive defeat to India in the first match and go on to win the final that too against India, I think Sarfaraz and his team deserve a lot of credit and
praise," Imran said.
"I am just happy to see that this victory has been possible with a young and inexperienced side and a new captain. What is noteworthy is that the younger players have
put up their hands. I cannot express in words just how much this victory means for Pakistan cricket," former captain Misbah-ul-Haq said.
Meanwhile, the media in Pakistan also lavished praise on the team for winning its maiden Champions Trophy title.
Here's a look at how different newspapers in Pakistan covered the triumph:
