It was down to the last ball. The lights were on and the crowd was on the edge of their seats. Or chairs and benches at the popular Kokan ground near the Sadabahar wedding hall in Bahadurabad. Underdogs BSL Women Cricket Club needed to defend eight off the last ball against reigning champions Athletic Club in a match where extras were the top scorer in both innings.
It was the final of a woman's night cricket tournament spearheaded by 33-year-old cricket enthusiast Hadeel Obaid who works to promote cricket at the grassroots level through her digital platform Khelo Kricket.
What started as an experiment with four teams and a handful of cricketers in 2016 saw the participation of nine teams with 108 registered players. They ranged from as young as twelve and the oldest in their mid-thirties, including a couple of moms.
The tournament started due to a dearth of opportunities for girls, and its success shows that girls want to play, says Obaid. The tournament, Khelo Khavateen, has already produced a star. National team player Fatima Sana was a regular in the earlier editions of the tournament. Another rising star is all-rounder Arijah Haseeb, who has already represented Pakistan at the U19 level.
Along the boundary and in-between matches, family members join players to help them practice. Fathers issue instructions on posture and style, mums bowl, siblings' field. While there was an air of competition, there was festivity and camaraderie in ample supply as well.
The cheering ebbed and flowed during the matches, with one spectacular catch raising decibel levels to a point where the ground administration requested the organisers to rein in the spectators.
Urooj Mumtaz, former captain of the Pakistan Women's Cricket team continues to support the tournament. Hajra Khan, captain of the Pakistan women's football team is a regular participant and her team Disco Ninjas bring their own unique flavour to the tournament.
Back to the final, six-time winner Athletic Club are confident of finding a way out of the situation. They are banking on yet another extra. "Eight runs, one ball, don't worry!" shoutouts someone from the boundary.
Someone is overheard comparing the match to the 2019 World Cup final between England and New Zealand, easily the most memorable final in living memory.
The ball is delivered and is in the right channel. The batter smacks it with all her might and it is the first maximum of the match. But no one is waiting to see where the ball lands. An explosion of joy as the BSL bench and supporters race to the ground to celebrate their victory.
For Obaid, it was the perfect finish because ‘who doesn’t love the story of an underdog’s triumph’.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2023.
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