"Hurry up Abdul!"
"Wait for me! I'm coming!"
Shahmeer hopped up and down in front of the TV, waiting for his cousin to enter the room. He had dark brown hair, and a light complexion. He was on the skinny side.
"About time!", he said, as Abdul entered, walking calmly, to see what his cousin had in store for him. A rather chubby boy, with jet black hair, and light brown skin.
He sat down on the couch, and asked "What are we watching?"
Shahmeer replied "The PSL! It's a cricket league in Pakistan, with teams for different cities, like Lahore, and Islamabad." He glanced at Abdul "Have you seen cricket before?"
"No, I haven't.." Came the reply.
"Hmm.." Shahmeer came over and sat next to him, looking at the TV, turning it on with the remote. "It's ok, I'll explain it to you."
He turned on the TV, to find that the match had already begun.
"This match is between the number 1 and 2 teams in the league. The winner will go on to the finals." Shahmeer explained, as the game continued. The two teams were Karachi and Islamabad. Abdul looked at the red and orange Islamabad team, and decided that was the team he was supporting. It had nothing to do with the fact that it was the city he lived in..
"I'm with Islamabad!" He spoke up.
Shahmeer glanced over, the said "Fine, then I'm with Karachi!" He liked to keep competition in everything.
Abdul didn't really know what was happening, but Shahmeer had explained that whoever had more runs, would win. One team would bat first, and try to score as many runs as possible, by hitting the ball. Hitting it out the ground would give you 6 runs. Getting it past the boundary ropes gave you 4 runs, while running between the wickets would give you 1 run, for each lap. The bowling team would try to get the batsmen out, by hitting the wicket with the ball, or getting them caught out. The fielders would try to stop the ball from getting to the boundary.
In the end, Islamabad United won by 8 wickets. All Abdul paid attention to, though, was that one person had made most of the runs for Islamabad, Luke Ronchi. He got 94 of just 39 balls! Internally, he decided he liked this player.
Shahmeer groaned as Islamabad won, disappointed his team didn't. "Come on, lets go, the next match is two days later."
Abdul followed him out, with a new impression of sports, and cricket in particular. A new thrill, he had never felt before, in his 11 years of life.
***
A few days later, Shahmeer again led Abdul to the TV.Â
"The finals starting, hurry up!" he shrieked.
"Coming", Abdul replied.
"The match is between Peshawar, and Islamabad! I hope Peshawar wins." Shahmeer said dryly., as he plopped down on the couch.
"Islamabad will win!" Abdul said, hopeful.
The match started.
Abdul watched, eager to know what was happening, which Shahmeer gladly told him. Islamabad, had a great bowling innings, restricting Peshawar to just 148 runs. The top wicket taker was a young leg spinner, taking 3 wickets for 25.
Then came Islamabad's turn to bat. Abdul's eyes were glued to Luke Ronchi. He cheered every boundary. Ronchi eventually got out, after 52 from 26 balls, much to Abdul's dismay. The rest of the team batted decently, eventually making it past 148. Finally, Islamabad won! Abdul cheered, while Shahmeer groaned. He'd lost, by supporting the wrong team. Abdul, on the other hand, had found something new. A gleaming light in life, in the shape of cricket. Something inspiring. Maybe he would watch cricket from now on!
So began a new story. As Abdul watched the celebrating Islamabad team, his home city, the new PSL champions, he entered the world of cricket.