Richard and Dickie; Ana and Mina! That was the first thought when I heard of Carlos Brathwaite.
I was thinking of an extract from E. R. Braithwaite's 'To Sir, with love', which was in my English book in school. It was 30 years ago, but I remember the story.
There is this poor little kid called Ha'Penny in the author's class. When everyone introduces his or her family, Ha'Penny tells him that he has four siblings, Richard and Dickie; Ana and Mina. He remains silent when the author mentions that Richard and Dickie are the same name. The next time, he softens the 'D' to a 'T' and says Richard and Tickie. Then the author realises that the kid is an orphan, he made up a family so as to be not left out.
Of course, this is prime material for a pathetic tear-jerker on WhatsApp, which will appear in each of my groups within an hour, transform itself into a story of a refugee child in a Western country within a week and appear on Facebook with a equally sad photograph. Then an uncle will re-send it on WhatsApp aftet 2 months and will get congratulated as though he wrote it himself!
It might still happen. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Anyway, when Carlos Brathwaite walked in to the crease at Kolkata, the words in my mind were... “Richard and Dickie; Ana and Mina”. As he took strike with 19 to get off 6 balls, while there was the tension on one side, the disappointment that Marlon wasn't facing, the anxiety of whether he could get that single... those names were constantly chanting in the background.
Then he unleashed them.
Richard was heaved over square leg. It was a bit smallish, that boundary, but he still had to get it over. Even Stokes wasn't too worried though. 13 off 5 isn't easy either.
Dickie was almost Tickie. He was a heart stopper. He went too vertically for TV viewers to be certain, but still landed up into the long on crowd. Stokes was distraught, but didn't get any support. He had to walk back lonely to his blowing mark. Where was Morgan? I mean, Plunkett is no Nehra-ji, but I saw no encouragement, no sympathetic arm around his shoulders. I didn't expect Ana. I thought, 7 in 4 balls, he would play it safer than that. And Ana last looked almost a mishit. Whether he wanted her to go to long off or not, that's where she went. That dislodged Sammy and the others from their seats. Haley Matthews was jumping with her player of the match award from the Women's final before.
Mina needed to have been just a tap to third man for a half run, half jumped single, but she too turned out to be a bonus six to mid wicket.
For Ben Stokes, they were not imaginary siblings! They happened and they were very real. His strength of character would show depending on how soon he gets over this and comes back, like Stuart Broad did after 2007.
I was thinking of an extract from E. R. Braithwaite's 'To Sir, with love', which was in my English book in school. It was 30 years ago, but I remember the story.
There is this poor little kid called Ha'Penny in the author's class. When everyone introduces his or her family, Ha'Penny tells him that he has four siblings, Richard and Dickie; Ana and Mina. He remains silent when the author mentions that Richard and Dickie are the same name. The next time, he softens the 'D' to a 'T' and says Richard and Tickie. Then the author realises that the kid is an orphan, he made up a family so as to be not left out.
Of course, this is prime material for a pathetic tear-jerker on WhatsApp, which will appear in each of my groups within an hour, transform itself into a story of a refugee child in a Western country within a week and appear on Facebook with a equally sad photograph. Then an uncle will re-send it on WhatsApp aftet 2 months and will get congratulated as though he wrote it himself!
It might still happen. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Anyway, when Carlos Brathwaite walked in to the crease at Kolkata, the words in my mind were... “Richard and Dickie; Ana and Mina”. As he took strike with 19 to get off 6 balls, while there was the tension on one side, the disappointment that Marlon wasn't facing, the anxiety of whether he could get that single... those names were constantly chanting in the background.
Then he unleashed them.
Richard was heaved over square leg. It was a bit smallish, that boundary, but he still had to get it over. Even Stokes wasn't too worried though. 13 off 5 isn't easy either.
Dickie was almost Tickie. He was a heart stopper. He went too vertically for TV viewers to be certain, but still landed up into the long on crowd. Stokes was distraught, but didn't get any support. He had to walk back lonely to his blowing mark. Where was Morgan? I mean, Plunkett is no Nehra-ji, but I saw no encouragement, no sympathetic arm around his shoulders. I didn't expect Ana. I thought, 7 in 4 balls, he would play it safer than that. And Ana last looked almost a mishit. Whether he wanted her to go to long off or not, that's where she went. That dislodged Sammy and the others from their seats. Haley Matthews was jumping with her player of the match award from the Women's final before.
Mina needed to have been just a tap to third man for a half run, half jumped single, but she too turned out to be a bonus six to mid wicket.
For Ben Stokes, they were not imaginary siblings! They happened and they were very real. His strength of character would show depending on how soon he gets over this and comes back, like Stuart Broad did after 2007.
What a game! What a finish!
Yes, Carlos Brathwaite might not have changed lives the way E.R. Braithwaite did, but he made his bit of cricket history today. And who knows what changes in the board-player wars this might lead to? Hopefully a much better future with the WI restored to former glories!
Kudos Carlos!
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