The school cricket final was only ten minutes away when everything went wrong. Our team had worked for months to reach the championship match. The entire school had gathered around the ground, waving banners and cheering our names.

I had dreamt about this moment ever since I joined the team. Yet, just as we were warming up, our best player, Imad, twisted his ankle while running. He fell to the ground, clutching his leg.

“I can’t play,” he said through gritted teeth, the pain evident on his face.

The coach looked around anxiously before resting his gaze on me. He simply announced, “You’re playing five down.”

For a second, everything felt silent. I had never batted in front of such a huge crowd. My hands felt cold and my heartbeat drummed loudly.

The match began at a rapid pace. Our opponents batted confidently and gave us a challenging target. Chasing it would not be easy. As I walked out to bat later in the innings, I struggled to play. I missed a few shots and nearly got out. Every dot ball chipped away at my confidence. I could almost hear the disappointed sighs and groans from the spectators.

During the drinks break, I stood quietly near the boundary wall, feeling upset. The coach walked over and patted my shoulder.

“You’ve spent months training for this,” he said calmly. “Stop worrying about making mistakes. Trust yourself.”

His words echoed in my ears as I walked back onto the pitch. I focused on timing my shots and rotating the bat correctly. Slowly, the pressure eased and I started hitting shots. My confidence gradually returned.

The final ball arrived. We needed six runs from the last ball. The bowler sprinted towards me and delivered a full-length yorker. For a second, I felt doubt fog my thoughts. I could play safely and hope for a miracle, or I could hit the ball and take a risk. It’s now or never, I thought.

I swung the bat with all my strength. The ball soared high into the blue evening sky and sailed over the boundary for a six. The crowd erupted in cheers.

My teammates rushed onto the field, lifting me onto their shoulders as cheers echoed around the ground.

That day, I realised I had been waiting for confidence before taking my chance, but sometimes confidence only comes after taking the risk.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 10th, 2026