“Bowl the next over to me” says the
non-striker. The bowler had just asked the striker if he saw the last ball
after the striker had complained he couldn’t see him running in behind the
umpire. The bowler gives the non-striker a stare as he gets his cap from the
umpire. Next over starts and the non-striker is now facing. He plays and misses
three balls in a row. “Isko mat out kar VSK, ye mera hai!” comes a scream. The
batsman looks around to find the bowler who’d bowled the last over. Both smile.
Game on.
This is not any
international cricket match. Not even a first class game. It is just a bunch of
22 guys playing cricket in the fields of Arizona. Mostly students and IT
professionals. Weekend cricketers. But obviously very serious about their
cricket.
Two overs later the
non-striker has his wish- he’s facing the bowler. First ball whizzes past him.
“Dikhi?” the bowler snaps. Obviously he thinks he’s very fast. Next ball is
another dot ball. The bowler applauds the batsman’s false stroke. Obviously he
thinks he’s very funny. He goes back to his mark and then a few meters further.
As he’s mid-way in his run- up, the batsman backs out. Obviously something has
got into his eyes. The bowler goes back. Runs in the fastest he can and lets
out a gut-wrenching grunt as he finishes his action. Except, he doesn’t release
the ball. He finishes almost next to the batsman in his follow-through. The
batsman is looking away, chuckling. The bowler now wants to bowl the fastest
over he’s ever bowled. But as his run-up gets longer and longer, so does the
distance between his deliveries and the stumps. Two legal and 5 illegal balls
later, the batsman has changed ends. “You’re not that quick bro” he sneers.
“Yes and you’re not that good. So just shut-up! I’m not talking to you” is all
that the bowler can come up with. He somehow finishes his over, after conceding
a single, 5 wides and 1 no-ball.
The Aussies call it ‘gamesmanship’ or ‘tactics for mental disintegration’. Shane Warne used it to his advantage like no other. But it can also work against you, as Aamir Sohail would testify. And that’s what makes sledging so exciting. Who can forget the drama that unfolded when Steve Waugh asked Curtly Ambrose to “Get the f*ck back and bowl”. No one knows what’s gonna happen when two cricketers decide to lock horns.
The game is getting to a close. 4 runs needed of the last 2 overs with 2 wickets remaining. Familiar foes resume battle but everyone knows who’s winning it right now. Can the bowler redeem himself? 4 dot balls later he feels maybe he can. The batsman is beginning to feel the pressure. 4 needed of 8 balls. Still the match is in his favor. “I’ll play the ball to merit” he says to himself as the bowler runs in. He slashes the ball, edging it but after a momentary scare, realizes it’s good enough to reach the boundary. He’s won. He’s won a game for his team single-handedly. He’s won it after challenging the opponent in his face. They shake hands. “Well played” says the bowler. “Well bowled” says the batsman.
Sure sledging can get ugly. No one wants to see bats being thrown and cricketers coming to blows. But it’s the closest it comes to war on the cricket field. It’s a war of skills- physical and mental. What’s wrong with having some of that in the middle of our mundane lives?
