Game of Cricket Is a Game of Life

Life is not cricket: though a game of cricket reflects life It portrays real-life conditions; from cradle to urn Starting with toss of a coin; ends in pulling bails off Just as cricket life is simply a game of twists and turns Cricket depicts aptitudes, attitudes and attributes; From efforts to excellence and vision to victories, Helmet clad men with gloves; on turn bat at different ends Thwarting a pack of 11 wolves; who swear to hunt them down Bowlers, swing ‘in and out’ and send cutters ‘off and leg’ Balls are flung as bouncers, googlies, full tosses, ‘donkey drops’ In life, people face challenges untold from beginning till end Despair and hopes, failure and success, disgrace and glory et al Batsmen ‘hit and run’ to score one, two, three; sure, no police tickets Smack a shot for four; making the ball go past the boundary ropes Staying put in the crease; beat fielders with cuts, lofts and drives Make belligerent strokes; the balls - red, white or pink sail over for six There is suspense, slips and misses; a stroke of luck or none at all Overthrows make it five or seven, when fielders wilt and eyes wink Silken shots from willows; look delightful, masterful, stylish and stately Smartly piercing the gaps; batsmen caress the balls and pick runs at will Quite often there is a quick-fire innings and strokes in 360 degrees ground Batsmen also score a hundred, a double, triple and remain unbeaten too Some others grind all day long and carry the bat through the innings They hate the ducks and LBW; and ending up with a 'pair' is a nightmare Bowlers are out to get batsmen out; bowling on the 22 yards central strip They bowl express pace, medium, good length; and balls that spin viciously Wicket keeper, three slips, fine leg and short leg; all wait for the fine nick Fielders wait for a miracle catch and also juggle it between them to complete Fiercely dive to stop the balls and throw the ball to have batsmen run out Batsmen wear pads and abdomen guards, gloves and caps; to stay it safe Bowlers induce catches and love a batsman being ‘caught and bowled’ Middle stump cartwheeling is a pacer’s delight; and ‘hat-trick’ is a dream Batsman is run-out; when a fielder breaks the wicket; caught short of crease; As one makes a dash from one wicket end to another, in a daredevil rush It is a silly point; but batsmen can kick the ball from rolling on to stumps There is a of course a gully; yet batsmen ‘hit-wicket’ to get out on their own Helicopter shots and reverse sweep; are countered with reverse swings There are slips to gobble up catches and a ‘fine short-leg’ to pocket a pop-up There is a third man, a long-off, long-on; one in covers, mid-off and mid-on The wicket keeper does the stumping; if batsman is caught out of crease Fielder yell ‘howzaat’ when they think it is a kill; from snicks and close calls; Yet spill overs, misses and drops end in reprieve, when chances go abegging Umpires and leg-umpires control proceedings; tossing a coin to begin with And the winning captain leads his team to bat or bowl first in the game Winning the toss offers leverage; but it is more to do with a stroke of luck There are fast, grassy and wet pitches; to make it a paceman’s delight There are dry, muddy and slow pitches for the spinners’ dream run too Throwing the ball isn’t allowed; just as repeat bouncers and 'no-balls' Substitute runners for injured batsmen and fielders for the sick show up Just as acrobatics happen at the boundary; while jumping to hold a catch Diving to save runs, batting, bowling and catching, all are practiced at nets When umpires are in doubt there is third umpire takes the call to do the rest If rain curtails play or other disruptions occur DRS decides the fate While white is the attire in tests; the norm in leagues is multicolor Victory, defeat are results in each game; neither two winners nor two losers Test matches are won and lost by wickets and runs and even by an innings A draw is when none wins; super-overs help decide One-Day and T20s draws; There are drinks interval, tea-break and lunch; sledging and egging too When cricket is played all win; take away trophies, cups, rubber, ashes, cash So is life as reflected by the acts of 22men on a 22-yard cricket pitch!