But the Pakistan `soldiers' in Manchester lost the `war' at the hands of Indian cricketers.

India's World Cup victory over their arch-rivals at Old Trafford has plunged the cricket-crazy Pakistan into deep mourning with people gunning for the heads of a number of star players and accusing them of indulging in betting and match-fixing.

A pall of gloom descended across the country last evening as Pakistan wickets fell at regular intervals after the initial excitement of restricting India to a modest 227.

Information Minister Mushahid Hussain, also in charge of sport, excitedly interrupted a National Assembly meeting to announce star batsman Sachin Tendulkar's dismissal, but the ministers in the Nawaz Sharif government were left angry and dejected as Indian bowlers subdued the Pakistan batsmen later.

Hussain announced Tendulkar's dismissal at a meeting of the standing committee on foreign affairs of theNational Assembly, but once the Indian pace duo of Venkatesh Prasad and Javagal Srinath began their demolition act, the excitement turned into disbelief and anger.

``Immediately sack Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi,'' blared the headline in the largest circulated Urdu daily Jung, which said a large number of cricket fans across the country had made this demand calling up the newspaper office.

``The cricket team has not cared about the sentiments of the nation,'' the paper said.

Jawans rejoice

SRINAGAR: The Badamibagh Cantonment area, centre point for troops and ammunition movement to Kargil sector, wore a deserted look and an eerie silence enveloped it last night as usual.

However, a thunderous chorus followed by bursting of crackers ruptured it as officers and jawans for a second forgot their tussle in Kargil and celebrated India's morale-boosting victory over Pakistan.

``We will do the same to the intruders who have crossed the line of control (LOC) with the backing of Pakistan,''said an exhuberant jawan bursting a cracker.

Another bunch of jawans accompanied by a company Hawaldar Major were seen chanting Bharat Mata ki jai along the dark streets of the cantonment in the dead of night.

``We have won the battle of nerves and we will surely win battle of bullets also,'' the soldiers awaiting the call of duty at Kargil sector said in unison to PTI correspondents when asked about the Indian victory at Manchester.

The soldiers were confident the result of the battle of wits at Old Trafford would be repeated in the Hills of Batalik and Drass but not with bats and balls.

``We will throw them out of LOC using the same precision with which our bowlers bowled to the Pakistani batsmen,'' said a senior army official.