Soliloquy

On this day, fourteen years ago, I played my first cricket match as a professional. I remember the expansive Parade Grounds stretching out in front of me like a vast ocean, ready to swallow me in its entirety if I so much as put a foot wrong. Thankfully, my twelve-year-old self was able to overcome that feeling of distress and apprehension and take the leap into the unknown. And what a leap it was!

The journey has been rewarding and exhilarating, to say the least. My life has been shaped by cricket, and in many ways, defined by it. I still remember touring when I was not even a teenager, reluctant to let go of the comfort of home and my parents, but the road towards greatness beckoned, and I had to heed that call.

In the fifteen seasons that I have played so far as a professional, I can honestly attest that I have never shied away from giving my best and going above and beyond the call of duty to fight for my team, my teammates and myself. Has the struggle been worth it? I would say, yes, but memory often plays tricks with you when the gap of such a long period of time has passed by.

While cricket has undoubtedly provided me with the greatest moments of happiness in life, it has also given me the most pain. This, I suppose, is what holds for most things that we love dearly, perhaps even more so than our own selves. The sport has become an extension of my identity, and it has shaped me; I have adhered to the morals and ethics that it teaches and tried to instil them in myself. I have always believed in being a cricketer first and an athlete next, but only people who have known me over the years can attest to whether I have succeeded.

Where I want to be is almost within my grasp, but it still requires immense hard work, faith and dedication, and I am prepared to lay down my life for this cause. Most importantly, what the sport has taught me goes beyond the hard facts of lessons and numbers, and if I ever find the words, I will use them.

There is simply no greater feeling in the world than being on a cricket field. The adrenaline rush, the pressure, the stress, the anxiety, the excitement – all of this makes us who we are, and what separates us from other, far lesser mortals who know neither victory nor defeat. The words of former Australia captain Steve Waugh have never held truer than in this case – “There’s nothing like it, the excitement of the unknown. Once it seduces you, you are hooked for life.”

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