The innings seemed to have been going well. Although it had been a struggle to get the opposition out, things seemed to have been going well batting wise and the team had seemed poised to get a healthy, match winning, first innings lead.
Suddenly though there was a flurry of wickets. The batsmen in the team played extremely poor shots. It left the captain in shock. He was left stranded. In no time, a possible match winning lead had turned into an almost certain match losing deficit. The advantage seemed to have been squandered by the team. By the end of the first innings, no one gave the team a chance. It was down and out, done and dusted, experts thought.
Then started the 2nd innings. Under trying conditions, the team had to follow on. The circumstances were tough. The captain tried to weather the storm. He was hit in the body, sledged upon by the opposition. But he carried on. He was extremely resolute on not giving it away. Very importantly, the captain was joined by a very able ally. The ally too looked calm in the face of storm, and under the guidance of the captain seemed willing to fight it out.
Together, the two started to gut it out. They did not lose patience. They showed extreme grit and determination. Their technique was rock solid. They held fort without doing anything rash. The partnership flowered, their confidence grew. They goaded each other, complemented each other. Runs started to come. Some top quality shots were played. Slowly but surely, they chipped in to the deficit. The opposition shoulders started to drop, the ball grew older. The two then got runs with little discomfort. The corner had been turned, the team was able to build a solid lead. Eventually, they were able to bowl the opposition out and win the game. It was a herculean effort to turn the tide. The critics had been proved wrong, opposition mouths were shut. The team had risen from the ashes, like a phoenix.
Now that the game is over, the captain feels relieved to have won. He cannot thank his ally enough. He feels extremely fortunate to have a player of that pedigree in his team. With such quality player by his side, he strongly believes their partnership can take the team places.
Indeed, this win is only the beginning. The team is now only getting ready for take off. As the captain puts it, now only sky is the limit!
