Malbari Hotel-An Old Man's day dreams 7 ------World Cup at kakri Ground

I was early to reach the hotel and was waiting for others to arrive sitting alone was not my style, so tried to chat with malbari but he was busy preparing his tea and other little things so I was just dosing.I was thinking about the forthcoming cricket world cup which was to be held in Bangldesh Srilanka and India. I was thinking why the world cup is not held in Karachi I had read in a news paper that it costs millions of rupees to prepare suitable ground for the cup. I don't bilieve a word of this brain washing tactics. We already have very good grounds in Karachi.

I then and there decided that the final of the world cup would be held in Karachi and that too in Kakri Ground so I in my imagination went to the Kakri Ground to check the possibility of holding the cup final there.

The ground was once a play ground but our authorities had turned it into a center for the drug addicts so they can use the drugs there freely and without anyone bothering.

So I went to the person looking like the addict’s captain and told him that we wanted to play the cricket world cup there. He looked at me as if I was a run away from a mental hospital.

I tried to convince him to let us play there. After a few minutes he was convinced but he was not out of his mind, he demanded money to make arrangements for the game I asked him how much and he told me five hundred rupees and all his friends will enjoy the game without any tickets. 

After much haggle the matter was settled for two hundred and that included cleaning of the ground and not disturbing the play.

Now the next question was who would play I knew the principal of the nearby Memon School. I went to him and he gladly agreed to send his school’s team to play.

Now the matter was choosing the opposite team. After a while the captain of the memon school team came to me to finalize the match timings and overs etc. I frankly told him about not having the other team he was so happy that all his teeth showed. He told that right behind the ground there were some makrani boys who were good at cricket and looked like West Indians so the match would look like an international event.

I agreed and told him to call the captain. So the boy ran towards the adjoining street and came back with an African looking boy. The makrani captain had came to get the details settled he told the match would be of twenty five overs.

One more condition was put forward by the makrani captain,he wanted his team to bat first because if they don’t bat first they lose interest and run away from the ground. The memon captain agreed to all this and told that the match would be with taped ball and not with hard ball.

The news of world cup in Kakri ground spread like jungle fire and boys and old persons started gathering in the ground, people selling eatables like pakora chana batata and paped etc also came right into the ground.

The stage was set for the big event. Both teams were in the ground. Spectators were there and many drug addicts were sitting expectantly on the side lines.

There was no question of a toss as this was settled before hand. The West Indies (makrani) team was to bat first. An old gentleman with white hair and white beard came forward and offered to inaugurate the event. Both teams agreed so he took the ball and threw the first ball. Spectators now numbering about 400 clapped loudly.

Now the actual match began in earnest. The opening pair of Makranis were good players and they threatened the Memon bowler to ball straight and within line and length otherwise he would be so well beaten up that his own mother won't recognize his face.

So the bowler was so frightened that the game became one sided and each ball got six runs. After about 10 overs the first wicket fell. So the match progressed and in 25 overs grand score of 250 runs was set .1st innings ended. Now the turn of the second team started. The second innings was not eventful till the last ten overs. Memons were 9 out for 235 runs in the last over.I may mention one event during this innings which is not seen in any international event. One stray dog picked up the ball and refused to return it at least 200 young boys ran after him. The dog took three full rounds of the ground before leaving the ball at the far end of the ground.

In doing so the dog had damaged the tape on the ball. Both the captains examined the ball and the empires ruled that a new tape must be wrapped so the question arose who would provide new tape. As both the teams were penny less. The argument took ten minutes, an old spectator offered ten rupees to buy a new tape roll. Thus the matter was settled and after a few minutes match resumed.

The match was decided in favour of the Memon team on very last ball and the batsman felt like Javed Miandad striking the historic Six in Sharjah.

Now the matter of prize cup arose. There were only tea cups of the nearby hotel. But finally it was decided thateach player of the losing team would pay 5 Rs each to the winning team as prize money within three days.

Suddenly I felt something hitting my head.I opened my eyes to see Ghafar Kapadia slapping my head to wake me up. I said to him that you waked me up and I missed world cup prize distribution at Kakri ground. Now it was our regular time at the malbari hotel and by visiting the world cup my mood was very nice and my son had given a hundred rupees so I offered tea to all for including malbari to celebrate victory of Memons in World cup.