Why we play this game

From the last 3 semesters, the USC/Trojan Cricket Club has been organizing a cricket tournament. I had never played and every Friday, watched wistfully from outside, through the railings of the Cromwell Athletics stadium, envying the lucky guys who seemed to be having so much fun playing under floodlights. One day I decided enough was enough and went up to one of the organizers, Diggy, and asked how I could get a game. He said it was almost the end of the semester and every one had settled teams, but sometimes players couldn't turn up for games and if I came along next Friday, he would try and fit me in.

I promptly went, and played for the Undergrads team, who were bowling first in this 15 over match. The opening bowlers got thrashed and so did the ones who followed. Of course, I rate my right arm fast medium highly (even though my action has been suspect at times, there is something in the recent shenanigans on hyper-extension, no?) and when the 11th over came up, I asked the captain to let me bowl. He was already harassed with the run rate touching 12 and understandably didn't want to bowl an unknown entity. So the regulars bowled, the thrashing got worse and the batting team scored in excess of 200. It was now time for the chase and to make it up to me, the captain sent me in first. Ok! First game in years and facing the first ball! I defended to midwicket and there was no scope for a run. The captain and his undergrad team made their displeasure known - I was sent in to hit out or get out, not to display my defensive technique. Next ball, I didn't care about the line and length and went walking down the pitch, slightly legside. The bowler followed me but the ball pitched right in the slot and as I swung, it must have hit the sweet spot, for it went sailing over the wide long on boundary for six. I had been obsessed with the idea of hitting the first ball of an innings for six ever since I saw, or imagined, Krishnamachari Srikkanth do it in a match from hazy childhood memories. Even if I had only done it second ball, it felt like this crazy, haunting fixation had finally been put to rest. I pulled a short one for six in the next over and got out soon after, but couldn't care much for anything else after that start.

The next Friday arrived and this time I was on Diggy's team, also captained by him. We batted first and I went in one-down. After lofting one to long on for a single, I got out in the next over, walking down the pitch, missing a short one and getting stumped. We then lost a clump of wickets but Diggy stayed on till the end, taking the score to 110 off 15 overs. The other side started the chase and lost early wickets. I was pretty pumped up after catching one of their openers out off a full-blooded pull shot and by the ninth over it looked like we would win this one. The next two overs leaked runs and a couple of sixes, leg side wides going for four, overthrows later the equation read: 25 runs off 24 balls, 3 wickets remaining. I asked for the ball and a short conference later, it went to one of the regulars. Five runs came off the over and a wicket. 20 off 18, 2 wickets. I ask for ball again, another conference, another regular, 6 runs. 14 off 12, 2 wickets left, all regulars bowled out. This time I didn't ask, but there was a conference anyway and the ball went to a batsman who bowled only occasionally. It was deja vu for me from the week before, but then they were just being practical. I knew no one there and no one knew me or my bowling. Diggy knew I hadn't played in years and a fast leg side wide or slow short pitched dolly would pretty much settle the issue. So, the 14th over got underway with me feeling pretty flat, standing at cover point. It was quite eventful and resulted in 8 runs and a run out. 6 off 6, 1 wicket. There was one good batsman left and he had been playing a controlled innings - placing the ball into gaps for ones and twos and putting the bad ones away for boundaries. Another conference due to sheer force of habit, but there was only one option left to bowl the last over. As the tailender hunched awkwardly over his bat, I ran in.

First ball, missed
Second ball, missed
Third ball, edged behind, single
Fourth ball, straight to short cover, no run
Fifth ball, played to midwicket, single available, misfield, 2 runs taken. no problem. 3 needed off the last ball and surely the match is ours now. misfield means the good batsman is back on strike. but he has mostly been nudging and placing the ball and unless I bowl a rubbish delivery, there is nothing to be worried about.
Sixth ball, pitching short outside offstump and the batsman must have flayed at it. recovering from my action, I look in the air to my left and see the ball soaring, arcing up, then down, to the deep cover point boundary. there is a fielder in that exact position, he misjudges it a fraction, comes in a couple of feet from the boundary and it goes just over his head and outstretched arms. For six.