"Cricket is nothing, man."

“If life is a 100-storeyed building, Cricket is just two of those. 
Cricket is nothing, man. 
Your biggest challenge is staying alive.”

                                               Mashrafe Mortaza


                                    *********

Guptill is down. 

On the ground.
Shocked.

He just can't believe.
But he is trying to make believe.
The ball just rushed out of his hands. 

They all know he is a very good fielder. And he could've stopped it.

But he has to realise that he couldn’t.

Down there, he shakes his head.
In despair, he looks up.
First, at his left.
Then right.

From what he sees, it’s not just him.

They all are trying to believe.


                          ********

Kiwis, here, were the men in charge.

For most part of those 70 overs, they had it covered. There were moments of nerves. But when Bangladesh collapsed early, they were back on the wheel.

Southee was moving the ball.

It was hissing like a snake.
It flirted with pads.
It kissed edges.

It was all sharp. 

And pace.
And precision.

Certainly, there were a few bits in the pitch that Mortaza wanted to bowl first. However, his bowlers being not so used to these conditions, he couldn’t dig as much as he liked. Against this Kiwi attack, hunting down 265 was never going to be easy.

And it wasn't.

Southee hit all those lengths that Bangladesh had missed.
And in a blink, Tigers were 12/3.

When Mushfiqur lost himself to duality of bounce, they went another down.

33/4.


                       *********


Tamim Iqbal had once told Cricinfo what consistent losing does to a sportsman.

"You are chasing 250 and you are 50/3, if you don’t know how to win, you’d just go and panic out there.”

And today, they were 12/3.


                         ********


Mahmudullah hit a ball into the square.

Field was deep and wide. He knew he had to run two. But Shakib didn’t know how much he had to run.
He was way out of his crease when he realized that Mahmudullah had stopped. And he, too, had to.

Only thing he knew, he had to run.
And he had to keep running.

So, he ran hard.
His feet rose.
And he rode the ball.


                           ********


As the shine flew off, it stopped moving.
White duke softened.
And the duality of bounce faded away.

Southee couldn’t get another.
Milne lost his length.
Boult couldn't shape it.
Santner just contained.
And Williamson lost his own.

When none could find inroads, Williamson stepped up.
He bowled.
And they hit him.

Way out of the game!

                   ********


Against Shakib, it was a well thought choice.

He was just one away from his hundred.
Boult knew it.
He moved his field up.
And he pitched it short.

But Shakib had all the time to manage.
He got beneath it.
He kept his balance.
And then he lofted it way behind fine leg.

What a SIX!

He gets to his hundred.

But he doesn’t raise his bat.

Balls later, he walks off, shaking his head. Boult applauds him. With him, all Kiwis do. Every single person in the ground stands up for him.

Yet, he doesn’t raise his bat.

Minutes later, Mahmudullah gets to his hundred. It is his third in ICC events. He bows down.
Then he raises his bat.

Whole world is cheering.


                         *********


Out there, on the balcony, stands a captain.

He is not cheering.
He isn’t chanting.
Not even smiling.

He is just watching.
Emotions are flowing under his skin. But he is holding them.
He is the man who believes Cricket is nothing. It is just two of those 100 storeys.
To him, the biggest challenge is staying alive.


                         *********

And then, arrives the moment.

Mosaddek hits it hard.

It's a FOUR!

And Bangladesh have knocked New Zealand out of the Champions Trophy 2017.

As the ball kisses the rope and the crowd erupts in joy, the captain clinches his fists.

He raises his shoulders.

And he roars!


He did stay alive.

For eleven years and 356 days, he stayed alive to make it again.

This time, as a captain!

All that gone wrong with Misbah

Wherever you come across a "Misbah", go for 'em.

News media survive on crises.

Imagine all gets well. Things sail smooth. There is no Trump. No Modi. No Lady Gaga. No Meera. No Chris Gayle. No Shahid Afridi.

In such a world, what could be a news? 

Why would cameras click? 

Why would heads turn? 

And why would people rush to their supply lines aka TV remotes?

Nonetheless, something bad has to happen. Man has to bite dog. Elsewise how could newsmen justify their sole existence?

                        ************

Cricket is not just a sport any more.

Over the time, it has evolved into an entertainment industry. What if Amir hadn’t overstepped in Lords’? Or Afridi hadn’t chewed the white leather in front of 26 cameras? Or Shoaib Akhtar hadn’t hurled his bat at Asif? How many news hours could have gone boring as usual?

Someone must hit someone in the dressing room. Someone must be caught dancing in a night club. Or talking to a bookie. Or at least inviting girls to his hotel room. And once a year, a captain must resign for any possible reason.

That’s how a calendar year of Pakistan Cricket should unfold.

                    ************

But then, there comes a problem.

The team, that would keep offering spicy items and newsworthy fiascos, suddenly goes quiet. There are no more hints of infighting. No more shades of the dismal days gone by. No more news of corruption. No more blame games.

And the focus becomes Cricket.
Only Cricket.

And the man, who makes it all happen, is anything but glamorous. He is an ageing gentleman. He plays his game. He lives it. And he speaks nothing but it.

For a newsman, that must be annoying. For it would be hard to dig a news out of his offerings on press mics. His thoughts would be so coherent that to raise a question would be as hard as being him.

As being Misbah.

That is unlike a Pakistan Captain.

A Pakistan Captain should be a fireman on the field. And a fire-cracker off it. He should blame his team. He should vent out on his board. He should get in a tangle with his selectors. He should issue statements against his coaches. He should resign. He should take it back. And he should repeat it.

He should NOT be a “Misbah”.

                    ***********

Misbah, in his entire career, has played only Cricket.
He was never interested in any other games. He never responded to what people spoke of him. He was barely concerned with how many in the press box were on his side. And he instilled this into his men too. Like him, his team also got quiet.

To realise how bad his approach was for Pakistan, you have to be a sports reporter in Pakistan.

For a moment, put yourself in a reporter’s shoes. Your bureau chief needs a story. You have to bring one. To help you, whole universe should conspire and make something go wrong. And, eventually, your boss would be happy with you.

But out there, there are guys like Misbah who don’t let the universe conspire for you. Who make you sweat your blood, for one story. And they just bore you. In that case, you are left with no more than two options.

Either question your own existence.

Or simply question his.
And make a news.

No story? Let’s make one.
And that is a lot easier than questioning your own existence. Added benefit is that it brings ratings too. So wherever you come across a Misbah, you go for it.

                            *************

And that’s all that went wrong with Misbah.

Otherwise, we all know, he was a fine gentleman.