There are many types of balls in the world. Big, small, medium, eyeball, pair of balls, football, volleyball, tennis ball, plastic ball, rubber ball and so many others that your mind can visualize. But nothing is more devil than a cricket ball. Whether in gully cricket, when it broke many glasses, or in the countryside when a five-over match never ended because it lost after a big six.
Getting hit is written on its fate but every time it hits another pair of balls, you will feel like flying. Your legs will become weightless. You won’t even feel it. You will desire nothing except a feather-like soft material that you can move over and over and over, again, again and again. But your eyes betray you here. It is still smiling, like nothing happened. That devil lying on the ground still thinks, “Did I break something”. Now that’s balls-magic. You will know only if you experience it. Otherwise, you know nothing of balls. Almost like, you know nothing, John Snow.
It can be seen in so many colors. It is red when it plays in test cricket. But when it plays an ODI or T20, it is white. In recent days, we have seen even a pink ball. She is the most beautiful version ever you would have encountered. And almost like every other 50% of similar objects treated, she also struggled to find her place. But like the same 50% She found her place finally.
These balls have seen so many turnouts. One is the South Africa vs Australia semi-final of the World Cup 1999 when SA lost it just because so many balls went missing while players were sitting on their chairs as it was raining outside. This match is living proof of why one ball is never sufficient. You always need two. More is most welcome. Another one I remember was when balls were treated like some roadside villain when these same two opponents beat this ball black and blue. Australia batted first and 434 runs but it was not enough to beat, SA went for more. That is why balls love test cricket. But as it happens always, you pray for less and it comes more.
Very soon balls faced the biggest nightmare in history. T20 cricket, yes T20 cricket is something balls hate most and reason you can understand. According to a ball,” Even in ODI cricket, except for few monstrous cricketers, batsman waits for the slog over. But in T20 cricket, from the first ball, they start murdering it. And since the T20 era, we have seen so many batsmen like Dhoni, ABD, etc going after balls even in test cricket.
But never say never, balls always have a lot of expectations from bowlers, fielders, and Wicketkeepers. They always want themselves to be hit in the right area so that they can hit rather than get hit. They always have soft corners for someone like Shahid Afridi who gives them so many tastes—everyone likes change. Afridi and Balls share an almost husband-wife relationship. In the early days of relation, Afridi dominated it but later balls showed him, who is the boss.
That’s it for chapter one. Chapter 2 is coming soon. balls story- part 2 “First love”. Stay connected till then.