Fans' personal cricket blogs

[Zeeshan]

Road not taken

When I was young, I wanted to be famous. And rich. Yes, what good is it to be famous if you are piss poor? But, it wasn't about the fame as the ends, rather doing something I love and enjoy, as means to that end that I wanted.

I was not physically built. Neither I had the coordination, stamina, but I enjoyed the mini-games against South African students in broken tennis court in Pretoria with tennis ball.

As I grew older, I realized may be somethings in life are not meant to be and to rehash the old adage, since we look at the closed door too long, we don't see the ones that are open. Although my youth was spent in Shangshad-Bhavan's field, the best I could do was play for an 'F' league in South Africa. On my debut I took three wickets and when I was eagerly anticipated that the Prefect will announce name of the previous day's noteworthy stats, luck was hell bent on proving me otherwise. They didn't announce my name at the Assembly.

I remember at one stage the resentment of my father who said that even people like Kumble had degree in engineering and one should finish school and then pursue other works. Needless to say I was crushed.

Point of my lament, or rather a sports' catharsis, is the fact that many of us fans are in the same place were we dream to be in the stars' shoes. We dream of opening the bat against class players like Malinga, Steyn or Lee. Yet very few of us make it. But even when they do, it does not seem to be enough, as fans expectations' are like that of a lynching mob.

One of the things that I remember about pastime during lunch breaks in Pretoria school was the fact that even I was bowling with a tennis ball, due to the extremely distorted short pitch, and short run up (perfectly suited for someone who was always out of breath), I almost had this "at will" god-like feeling to take wickets. Embarrassingly enough, this attitude didn't last long in my recent trip to Canada, where I held the cherry after nearly 10 years as I was immediately sent to the cleaners.

Earlier today revolver wrote about lack of Bangladeshi players to visualize. I would say many many young men like me have the nerve and will power to achieve the impossible. But as the game of cricket has showed that to build castles one still has to stay grounded. One has to know his or her limitations, one has to be extremely disciplined, play by the rules and rigor, clock in hours and hours of hard work. So it may be all well and sundry to have that yogic will power but if one does not channel it and focus it, it matters little.

It is my hope that if perchance Bangladeshi team comes upon these words, they realize that they are at the very place in which many of us dreamy ourselves to be and they shouldn't take it for granted.

Cricket is a mind's game. As a hardcore fan who clocks in the hard work in forum instead, heh, I am honored to relish the victories vicariously imagining ourselves in the stars proverbial shoes. Now treat the final as just another match, and go for the kill.

And as for me who never lived up to the dream of playing cricket for nation? Well, last time I checked, there are still about six, unsolved, millennium problems to go.

[zinatf]

A very nice article...kudos to the writer (if it's you zee...then I'm NOT surprised)