It was Mickey Arthur against the world on Sunday, moments after India's dominating 124-run win at Edgbaston.
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The Pakistan coach, known as a hard task-master who doesn't suffer fools gladly, got angrier and angrier as questions piled up about the team's remarkable lack of fighting spirit.
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A series of basic errors reduced whatever chances the team had of putting up a semblance of a fight. As it stands, Pakistan, the lowest ranked team in this Champions Trophy, now finds itself with the unenviable task of having to unearth cricketers with individuality and sparkle, the kind that would be present at every street corner in the 1970s and 1980s. The kind that were not good at being afraid against the odds. The kind that once gave India nightmares.
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Somewhere along the way, Pakistan cricket lost its very identity even as expectations remained sky-high: a point Arthur tried to make repeatedly, first with emphasis and then vehemence.
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Asked how long it would take Pakistan to start winning against quality opposition again, Arthur retorted, "How long is a piece of string? It's a total insult to say we're playing even worse than last year (when he took over as coach).
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We've won two series in the past year, and got ourselves from No. 9 to No. 8. Our brand of cricket has changed. To ask me that question is an insult to how hard these boys have trained. This defeat will not take Pakistan backward, maybe it could take it forward."
He continued: "My issue is fear. My issue is getting out there and really looking to take the game on, just believing in themselves. We didn't set the tone. The only thing I can think of is that the magnitude of the occasion got to them. I don't know why they were cramping.
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Maybe I need to take it up with the medical team. The worrying thing is that we just do the basics wrong. We do the simple things wrong. We drop simple catches. We don't run well enough between the wickets. We don't hit the 'keeper with our throws and we don't know when to bowl our variations."
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After the game, TOI asked Azhar Ali, who relinquished the ODI captaincy at the beginning of the year, if what the coach said about "the magnitude of the occasion" was true. "Yes, he is unfortunately right," said Ali softly. "Maybe we were a bit nervous. I don't know why. This is a young, inexperienced team. We will improve, hopefully."
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Sadly, Arthur had to fend off accusations of favouritism after he picked Wahab Riaz, who gave away 87 runs from 8.4 overs, over the left-handed pacer Junaid Khan. "I'll take the blame, I selected him," he finally said.
On the way out of the stadium to the team bus, the cricketers were mobbed by Birmingham locals. If the Pakistani players were expecting bad vibes, they didn't get any: names of players who were recognized easily were chanted at fever pitch. Unfortunately, none of them had the heart to look up and acknowledge the cheers.