Show them who’s the REAL BOSS
In the corner of the ground, Umar, Fahar, and Ahmed Bilal were having a heated debate, with each one of them eagerly expressing their opinions. Their debate was pivotal in determining the outcome of the final of our INTERHOUSE Cricket Tournament. Standing nearly forty feet away from them, I eagerly observed the animated figures, trying to make sense of their discussions.
The importance of INTERHOUSE tournaments was unprecedented as it was the only platform where you could prove yourself as worthy of being in the school cricket team, even claiming superiority over the other players. Despite beating the combined Eagle and Kestrel cricket team twice in the group stages, this time Falcon’s house found themselves in an unfavorable situation as the lethal bowling attack of the opposition ripped through the batting order. Chasing a relatively low target of 47 runs in 5 overs, Falcon was on the receiving end as in the very first over, Ahmed Bilal dented a heavy blow by not only dismissing the opener Roshan Dar but also trapping Shahzaib after the lad fell to the excessive pressure and gifted an easy catch to Fahar patrolling the boundary. In the very next Umar, an overly passionate and eager Umar Cheema made matters worse as the lad initially clean bowled Musa Shahid and later got the wicket of Waleed Bilal as he tried to take the attack to the bowlers.
With only two wickets left to claim a much sought out victory, the only obstacle standing between the bowling side and victory was the prize wicket of Faaiz, a batsman who was well renowned and still unbeaten despite coming out to open the batting alongside Roshan Dar. The third over, which was bowled by Ahmed proved to very helpful for the fielding side as his economical spell of bowling mounted pressure on the opposition who needed 25 runs in the last two overs. Despite the boys sitting in the dugout screaming at the batsmen that the run rate was climbing, I wasn’t bothered as I was aware they have to give one over to the weaker bowler, as Umar and Ahmed could only bowl a combined spell of 4 overs, leaving one over for the relatively inexperienced bowler. Since they probably won’t risk him with the last over, the fourth over was the one I had to target, intending to leave an achievable target for the last over for Umar to defend.
Therefore, I believed the debate over there at the corner was related to informing Fahar about the tactics and weaknesses I presumably have, ensuring that minimum runs are leaked from his crucial over. Zain, the umpire for the match, signaled the bowling side to come and bowl as they were short of time and surprisingly all three of them started walking towards the crease. This sight kind of confused me as I looked at my non-Striker end fellow batsman and remarked, “Yeh bowling karnay aa Raha hay ya Susaral ja Raha hay jo Saray escort kar rahay hain?” Well, my smirk quickly vanished as rather than expecting Fahar to bowl, Umar asked the umpire for the ball and started counting his steps as he marked his run-up. The unpredictable change of events left me reconsidering my plan as I was confused about whether to attack or preserve my wicket? Can I score 20 runs in the last over? Caught in two minds, I began to face the ball as Umar started his run-up. The guy with the longest run-up, starting nearly from the boundary with excessively long hair, steaming in towards the crease, his Akhtar-Esque bowling style striking fear into the batsman as an exceedingly quick bouncer was always on the cards. The gleaming confidence and radiating fighting spirit of Umar made me doubt my plans at the very last moment, believing it is better to avoid facing him rather than losing my wicket. He leaped into the air and bowled a beautiful delivery, targeting the top of off-stump as the batsman, caught in two minds, tried to flick it onto the leg side, only to edge it, presenting the opposition with the moment they had been waiting for.
The fast pace of the delivery accompanied by the momentum gained by the fine edge made it exceedingly difficult for the part-time wicket-keeper Mustafa Sameer as the wrong-footed keeper failed to force the ball to stick on his extended left hand as it popped out of his hand onto the ground. With my heart coming to the mouth, I jumped in joy after watching the missed opportunity. Can I tell him, “You have dropped the cup” as Waugh did to Gibbs? Whereas Umar, he was done with this behavior. The relatively calm and good-humored lad showed his ugly side as he lashed onto the keeper. Remember Wahab Riaz’s reaction when Rahat Ali dropped Watson’s catch? Trust me, Umar was fuming, shouting at the keeper with words not heard from him before. Next, it was time for the death stare, both of us looked into each other’s eyes, Umar without a word, let me know he will get me out. That aggression and ferociousness hidden in the eyes of the bowler was the triggering point. Did he challenge me? Does he think he’s better? Will get ME out? Baby, I’ll teach you a lesson even if it means I am risking a lot at stake! The defensive and conservative mindset instantly changed into Afridi style thinking while recalling the legendary quote of Tipu Sultan, “To live like a lion for a day is far better than to live for a hundred years like a jackal”. I do not want to win at a cost that at the end of the day Umar would have the bragging right, telling me I won as I targeted the easiest player while getting almost out on his bowling. Pretty sure most of us still think Pakistan would’ve won if Rahat hadn’t dropped the catch too! My rejuvenated side announced its arrival by mocking Umar indirectly as I faceLagistafa and said, “Is ki tPagalnHua lo as ball lagi hi nahi thi, yeh awein pagal hua wa hay”. This enraged Umar who grabbed the ball and headed back, preparing to bowl the second ball of the over.
Considering the number of times I have played with Umar, I knew the following delivery had to be a bouncer as the equation sat at 25 from 11 balls. The determined bowler released the ball and indeed it was a blistering bouncer, the one right between the ribs and shoulders. Premeditating the shot helps if your fluke is right as I stepped onto the back foot, letting the ball come towards me as I swung with immense power. Since the leg-side boundary was fairly small, muscling the ball towards the boundary wasn’t that hard as the excessive force made up for the lack of timing as the ball swirled into the air, landing on the floor above the office of Sir Asher on the school stairs, for the first six of the innings. While it was a much needed six, it served as a morale booster for the bowler too who was desperately looking for my wicket as not only did he compel me to attack with Ahmed Bilal perfectly placed for the next mishit but also we both knew it wasn’t the cleanest swing with the bowler nearly getting the prized wicket. With 19 needed from 10 balls, you still would back the bowling side to win. Encouraged by the previous ball, Umar placed another fielder on the leg side boundary, removing the fielder placed inside the circle to stop the single. So my friend accepted the duel? This was a signal, “try one more if you have the guts”, something which I cherished. The truth is that playing against highly competitive, capable, and smart cricketers is that your skill-sets get polished. While the rational option would have been to play a rolling shoot across the barren cricket field for an easy single, we don’t do the rational thinking, do we?
The third ball was at a good length, aimed straight for the stumps and the batsman danced a couple of steps outside the crease to change it into an easy half-volley, flicking it for an easy six towards the mid-on boundary for another six. This one wasn’t muscled and was pure timing as not only was it my trademark shot, it was helped by the pace of the bowler too. So there are side-effects of pace apart from the ball flying outside the school after hitting the top of the stumps! Umar watched in agony as the ball flew to the boundary and he stared back at me after the confirmation of the six, which only intimidated him as I let out a sly smile and a couple of dance moves, just to let him down. I swear if I had gotten out on the very next ball, everyone would’ve hurled curses as it was a result of the dance moves and I being “shooda” (still the same though). Umar came charging in, determined to have the last laugh. Before he bowled, I did a little shimmy, moving to and fro on the wicket, an act to confuse Umar where to bowl. I couldn’t even realize the sheer speed of the bowl. It went past me within a second! One of the most accurate Yorkers aimed right at my shoe with his extra effort making it almost unplayable. Luckily, I jumped away from it and the umpire declared it to be a wide as anything down the leg stump is ‘wide’. Livid with the call, Umar began fighting with the umpire whereas I thanked Allah and silently whispered “Sorry” for my earlier antics. It was like watching Mitchell Marsh suddenly turn into peak Mitchell Starc. Well, I can’t say it was surprising as this was the peak of Umar Cheema and every fast-bowler produces extra effort after the batsman wreaks havoc.
Leaving the past aside, it was time to focus on what was to follow. Since the last ball was an extraordinary Yorker, the bowler must be eager to bowl it again as it is the only thing that can get my wicket. As Umar approached the crease with the ball tightly gripped by his index finger, I took a step forward to nullify the Yorker threat, a change unnoticed by most as the ball changed into a juicy low full toss, enabling me to swing the bat with all the energy I had, surprising even myself with the outcome. THAT WAS THE BIGGEST SIX I EVER HIT!!!!! LANDING STRAIGHT ONTO THE TENNIS COURT ON 4TH FLOOR!!! NO ONE EVER HIT IT THAT LONG!!! Was it a fantasy? Was I daydreaming? Next, Umar looked straight at me, and rather than passing any rude or offensive remark, clapped with his hands and appreciated my shot. We may be barbarous on the field but our sportsman spirit and love for cricket far exceed our rage and enthusiasm. At that moment, I realized I have broken Umar’s spirit and the mere hope he had of winning had vanished.
With 6 needed from 7 bowls, Ahmed Bilal, the captain, ordered everyone to come forward and prevent the possible single I was seeking. With a single, I would have the strike in the last over and 5 runs aren’t hard to achieve with Fahar bowling. Plus, I had already smashed three consecutive sixes and had one foot in victory coupled with the shouts of teammates especially Shahzaib compelled me to reconsider my plans for smashing another six. So I was meant to dab the ball towards the bushes on the left and steal a single. With Umar midway through his run-up, my mind recalled the incident that occurred two years ago. We lost the inter-class final with 5 runs needed to win as the pressure of the last over got on our head. Murmuring, “Not again!” my eyes lit up, lofting a straight drive over the head of Umar, and the fielder placed behind him for the ball to crash into the cage (meant to be the boundary), smashing four sixes consecutively. The umpire hadn’t even declared it to be a six before Shahzaib Ansar ran from the dugout and embraced me with others to follow. So the best bowling lineup couldn’t deal with one batsman? Due to my heroics in the final, I was awarded the “Best Performer” and “Top Scorer of the Tournament” trophies.
While in the future we played many matches together, this particular over led to the creation of a friendly rivalry between Umar Cheema and myself as we still play matches with our teams, earning the bragging rights after a win until the next match months later. While the pandemic has crushed most of the cricket plans we had drafted together for the summer holidays, I am still confident that our “Cricket Dream” would continue and we will play many more matches alongside Ahmed Bilal, Shahzaib, etc.
To all the cricket partners, keep yourself in shape during the pandemic!
