The Last Ball Six (In My Head)

Have you ever been to places without a ticket? Well, my cricket bat has. It’s been to Lord’s, driving through covers off Jimmy, and making one disappear at the MCG while Mitchell Starc scratches his head in disbelief. 

I think there is nothing wrong with living your dreams while you’re dreaming. I am almost 30, having never played a cricket match with anyone but my friends, I can confidently say I will never be a professional cricketer. But I won Pakistan a world cup final last evening, 6 required off the last delivery, and they are still looking for the poor ball I sent out of the stadium.

It’s become a reflex. I find myself shadow-batting in the grocery line. Batting at 49, I tighten my gloves straps, tap my gloves to seat them, twirl my bat, followed by a perfect cut though backward point for a single and there comes the bat raise.

I also don’t need much space to turn into a red ball bowler, an empty street will do. Nothing less than Muhammad Asif, I roll the ball in my hand, while Virendar Sehwag wonders how to survive this, with his front pad already bruised from the last delivery. I start my run-up certain I’ve got him. Next moment, the middle stump cartwheels a couple of meters back towards the keeper. 599 to get, Pakistan is on top in Karachi.

So, back to the world cup final, I am batting at a nice 136 chasing down 230. We are now in the final over, 9 down, while I am at the non-striker’s end. 18 needed off the last over, and a single off the second ball gets me back on strike. The chants of “In-diaaa, In-diaaa” all around and the Pakistan fans hold their heads. I look around the stadium. This is the moment.

Jasprit Bumrah waits, ball in hand, as I tap the pitch and meet his eyes with a ready look. He comes at me with a short one at my chest. An absolute fire of a pull shot and the deep square leg sees it flying into the crowd. Next delivery, right in the slot. One clean swing, no-look hit, and the ball smashes into the sight screen. I walk down the pitch for a glove bump with my partner. 

5th ball of the over, a furious bouncer whistles past my helmet, For a split second it looks wide, but the umpire’s arms stays down. It’s a fair delivery. 6 required off the last delivery. I twirl my bat, glance around the stadium, and settle without a thought. Here it comes, the last ball of the tournament. He goes for a yorker, misses wide and I slice it over point. The ball goes sailing like a bullet, and before it lands I have whipped off my helmet, both hands raised, roaring like a champion. 

I will not pretend that it was the first time, I have been dreaming of The Last Ball Six since I was a kid. I am not sure about the cricket fans around the world, but if you are a Pakistan Cricket fan, you have done it too, I know. 

The Pakistan Cricket team can crush giants one day and trip over a pebble the next day. We live for those heart-stopping finishes. So, of course we replay them in our heads. I know I am not alone. What impossible win have you already claimed when nobody was looking?