If you ask me how sixteen years of my brand-new life felt like, I would say it was simultaneously faster and slower.
The days passed slowly, and the years passed in a blink.
I did everything an athlete needed to do.
From increasing stamina to practicing techniques, I did everything I knew would help me in the future.
I woke up at dawn to jog and swung a heavy wooden bat at evening.
My parents were baffled by my work ethic. They thought I was simply a serious child, maybe too serious. I didn't mind it. After all, they cannot understand the urgency that drove me.
Although they were slightly dissatisfied because I wasn't focusing enough on my studies, they didn't say anything since the good grades continued to come in.
Well, algebra is not that hard, to be honest.
So they kept supporting me and giving me money to buy cricket gear as much as I wanted.
By eleven, I was playing in age-group tournaments, sometimes against boys two or three years older than me. My techniques were not that much better, and the only thing separating me from others was my overwhelming stamina.
But I still outshone others.
I rotated strikes against a good bowler, picked the bad one, and smashed him until the captain no longer gave him the ball.
Everyone makes mistakes, so did I. The difference between me and others was that I knew what I needed to fix.
So I kept playing. I made countless mistakes, and I fixed them one by one.
When I was thirteen, I went to BKSP (Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan), the only government-funded sports academy, to try for admission.
The reason was pretty simple: other private institutions and clubs may have the best infrastructure or coaches, but BKSP is the heart of sports and games of Bangladesh.
Domestic matches are held here. Age-group tournaments are held here. Selectors, coaches, national camps, just name it, you will find them here.
It's like entering a room full of windows of opportunity.
The academic test was obviously easy. I was a was grown ass man answering questions made for kids who just hit puberty.
The fitness test was a little tricky, but I had trained for this. I completed the whole thing without passing out, a small miracle, considering how breathless I became after climbing stairs in my previous life.
From there on, balls turned more and came faster, fielders became sharper, and coaches had an endless amount of expectations.
And here I am now, with my name on the U-19 World Cup squad.
Congratulations to me, I guess?
......
Standing in front of the Shahjalal International Stadium, the weather felt chillier than usual.
Or maybe it's just my nerves.
The team has already gathered in front of Gate 4.
I spotted a few familiar faces- Taskin, Nasum, Litton, and our captain, Anumul.
By the way, I am the vice captain.
Maybe I could have been the captain, but Anumal, being one of the oldest, 19 years old, was given the role.
Anamul is the most experienced one in the team. If the timeline does not diverge much, he would get his international debut right after his brilliant performance in the World Cup.
Since I am just 16, I could play on the 2014 U-19 team too.*
"Look who finally made it," said Anamul. " They say the protagonist is always late."
"Khulna boys are always late," Taskin added playfully.
"Screw being the protagonist. Blame the bus service for being late. Who drives at only 20 kmph when the road is clear?"
It was kinda strange to be with the future stars of my country. I spent hours in the commentary box talking about them in my previous life, and now I am playing with them.
I looked around when our boarding passes were checked.
Some of us present here will become future stars.
Some will vanish into obscurity.
But right now we are all equals. Everyone was wearing the same tracksuits and was headed towards the same dream.
I quietly sighed.
The 2012 U-19 World Cup was a stepping stone for several players.
For example, Babar Azam, Travis Head, Topley, Q de Kock, Will Young, Najibullah Zadran, Ish Sodhi, Masakadza, Madushanka, Ben Duckett, etc
For Bangladesh, it was Anamul Haque, Litton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Mosaddek Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Nurul Hasan, and me.
If I remember it right, Anamul was the highest run-scorer of the tournament, and Topley was the highest wicket-taker.
The Squad of Bangladesh is:
Wicket-keeper and Batsman - Anamul Haque, Nurul Hasan, Litton Das
All-rounders- Nasum Ahamed, Mosaddek Hossain, Soumay Sarkar, Abu Haider, Salman Hossain
Bowler- Abu Jayed, Taskin Ahmed, Noor Hossain, Al-amin, Naeem Islam Jr., Asif Ahmed, Dewan Sabbir
Coach - Zafrul Ehsan
Honestly speaking, the squad is average but can upset big teams due to individual brilliance and a bit of luck.
The batting side is overly dependent on Anumul, Litton, and me.
Although bowling talent is somewhat spread evenly, Taskin and Abu Jayed are the main options. Nasum and Mosaddek are good spinners, but they won't be of much use in Australia.
This squad has gotten around 10-15 international practice matches before the World Cup. Eight of them were against England U-19 in January in Bangladesh.
I got my U-19 debut in this series and played 5 matches and scored 14(18), 11(23), 87*(63), 54(37), 39(27) in those matches.
I also took 2 wickets. Sad to say, my bowling is still a work in progress. My economy was good, though.
I didn't score the highest run in the series, but it's my aggressive play style that secured me the spot in the U-19 Asia Cup in June.
And I scored my first double-ton there.
Yeah, I got a double century on my first century. 213(145)
To be fair, the match was against Qatar.
I received an injury that cost me the rest of the matches. Bangladesh lost to Afghanistan after that, and the journey stopped in the quarter-finals.
So, with six matches and an average of 82.8 under my belt, I will be landing in Australia.
....................
* - Soumya was originally born on 1933 but for plot convenience I made it 1996.
AN : All the yapping and main info dumps are done. We will get into action within the next 2-3 chapters.
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