In the name of Allah Subhanatallah the Most Beneficent the Most Merciful!
Tough times don't last but tough people do. These were my nascent thoughts after being informed by my supervisor that I had to scrap my dissertation topic (mixing seawater with river water to generate electricity via Reverseelectrodialysis, a subset of Salinity Gradient Power) and start from scratch again. This phenomenon is a testament to the circle of life, as taught to us by Sir Khizar and Sir Ronnie Pajee that it's never too late to learn, unlearn and relearn. Robin Williams once said that just when we think we have figured out life, we are deflected off the trajectory. and have to end up viewing the landscape from a different angle altogether.
That being said, history repeated itself today as I ended up being late in glorious fashion one more time. Gazing at all the mesmerizing statues around George Square, replete with bird droppings (one could arguably make a case for placing the traffic cones on the heads of the figures), fate would have it that Google Maps completely misguided me with the 6A bus for Anniesland Cross arriving at 12 38 rather than the initially scheduled time for 12 26). By the time the bus rolled by Gartnavel Hospital, I was literally dreading my late arrival with the demons of consumerism further stalling me as I succumbed to the IKEA slave nesting instinct by finding it virtually impossible to resist the temptation of downing yet another slush juice with the dilemma compounded by my slow march to the ground.
Prematch and Postmatch Team huddles always have an element of spirituality associated with them as we were informed by our seniors to uphold the spirit of cricket and play the gentleman's game. We might beg to differ but for various echelons of the global community, the first impression often turns out to be the last impression. There is always that proverbial quote drifting around "An unexamined life is a life not worth living". It was GHK's turn to bowl first. As we took our stances in the field, I couldn't help but look around and recall the words of the late Legendary Shane Keith Warne on debut "How privileged I am to be a part of this auspicious circle". With an overcast sky and white birds flying around the horizon at low altitude, I dreaded the onslaught of rain but at the same time found it hard not to get revved up by the exciting dynamics of the contest.
Serial Number | Over Range | Run Rate Per Over |
1 | 1-5 | 5.8 |
2 | 6-10 | 4.8 |
3 | 11-15 | 7.6 |
4 | 16-20 | 9.6 |
5 | 21-25 | 7.2 |
6 | 26-30 | 7.8 |
7 | 31-35 | 10.06 |
Regardless of just taking 3 scalps (hats off to Ronnie Pajee and Mr. Tariq for starring in the wicket column), credit must be directed to the precision and accuracy of the bowling unit, especially in the first ten overs as despite reprieving S Weir on three occasions (with the batter making the most out of the multiple slices of good fortune to post a fighting 67), they managed to keep a lid on the run rate (5.3 rpo) and preventing it from skyrocketing. The fielding was pretty tidy with the lads vocal out in the ground to lift the team spirits. Once the opening pair changed gears, things started to slowly drift beyond our control. Bhuvan and Aziz bowled well in tandem but were unlucky not to get wickets with credit due to Mr. Ronnie for utilizing his bowlers in short bursts to enhance their precision and effectiveness and minimize the prospect of fatigue, a phenomenon that materialized in the form of just 17 extras being conceded in the game, which is good, considering the early stage of the season at which we are currently embarked upon.
GHK's ballers are renowned for hunting in pairs and Mr. Mahmood's efforts to clock in the dot balls were rewarded by Mr. Ronnie's double-wicket burst at the other end to dismiss S Weir and JV. Ee in the 22nd and 26th overs respectively (salutations to Mustafa for taking a great catch at deep square leg) with the former returning in the 31st over to bowl out A Montogmery who made a quickfire cameo of 40 runs with R.Warlana and I.Redmond adding the finishing touches. The debutant Tahir had a decent outing. But make no mistake! The standout performer was the opening batter L Farmdale who stayed unbeaten to post a sizzling century, oozing class and confidence that closed XL's innings at 267/3, a competitive score that proved enough in the end to defend.
Coming to GHK's batting, the opener Mohammad Hamza Nasir struggled to get going as he faced difficulties in playing on the front foot and the opening partnership was eventually broken in the 8th over as he played with a cross bat to an inswinging yorker that pinned him plumb on the back foot. Meanwhile, the other opener, Shakeel was in imperious form and made a sublime 76, overladen with boundaries and maximums all over the ballpark that inched the team's total closer to that of its counterpart. Impressive contributions by Tariq, Manish, and Aziz (37, 42, and 24 respectively) almost led to the team crossing the finish line but in the end, GHK arguably conceded 15 to 20 runs too many.
Overall, despite falling short, it was a pulsating humdinger and an absolute cracker jacker of a friendly development session match that went down right to the wire. In retrospect, history was made at Glasgow High Kelvinside as improvements were witnessed in literally all the departments. The pleasant on-field banter, as well as the lively refreshment break, added a vibrant buzz to the contest as pleasant talks between both sides merely reinforced the Sunday bliss. With GHK being one fielder short, Forty Club complied with reproducing identical fielding arrangements at their end, quantitatively speaking, which went a long way in teaching us how to treat our opposition. The funny part was going in as a square leg umpire and then getting confused with the pebbles and failing to spot the batsman being short of his crease while having a witty and animated discussion with the opposition fielder at 45.
Simultaneously speaking, there was a net session going on in parallel which shows that learning never stops. What these moments teach us is the imperative significance of being a good listener and emulating the sayings and actions of our coaches, mentors, and fellow teammates. Be it scoring, umpiring, playing on the field, shaking hands, or cleaning up the ground and returning the equipment to the shed afterward on an ambient Sunday evening, learning never stops and true joy lies in duty. Playing the bandwagon of "Mah Life Mah Rulezz" can only cut it so far. To quote Kevin Spacey in "House of Cards", we are entitled to nothing and cant parade around with a looter mindset, expecting the whole world to be dished out to us on a silver plate. True beauty lies in giving back to society as Sir Khizar and Sir Ronnie correctly envisioned.
As I got off at Ingram street to begin the final trudge back to my isolation(while promising myself to be punctual in the future, register the captain's instructions during fielding, and train to bat better on the front foot), I couldn't help but feel that the greatest moments in life are not to be heard about nor read or seen but if one will to be lived. Three cheers for Glasgow High Kelvinside! Hip! Hip! Hurray!
Great read Hammy, look forward to many more to come. Keep working on that front foot!