The greatest time of our lives.

29th March, 2015:
Presentation Ceremony:

Mark: Bazz, you said, again and again, this is the greatest time of your lives?

Bazz: It has been one hell of a ride. Staying unbeaten throughout the tournament. But, eventually, failing to cross the final hurdle.

Making us the second best Cricket Team in the World.

The question here asked by Mark was not framed by him. It was what Bazz said after winning and re-winning crunch games. This quote is now remarkable, even if The Kiwis fail to win the one last stop.  Let's get it rewind.

Rendezvous 1:

Its a fine cold morning in Christchurch. People have come with their woollen jackets. Some are in their thick black blankets. Some have beer glasses. Kids in Black Caps Jersey. Crowd are still flocking in. The National Anthem is over. There has been a slight drizzle of water. One fiery, curl haired, Sinhalese guy licks his hand, adds a bit saliva to the ball. Trying to shine it. Ready for the run up. Locks his sight on the batsman. Takes a step backward. The batsman (fearless), whose attack is the best form of defence, takes guard. Its a bat, but he is ready to swing it like a Samurai's sword. The ball swings past the off stump, McCullum slices it hard to the boundary. Malinga knows he is being dared.  Next one, to the off, but a bit bouncer. McCullum slaps it towards the cover. That's how the World Cup began. Next ball you anticipate, McCullum's way down the pitch and slaps it harder over the mid-on region for a boundary. They go on to beat Sri Lanka.

Rendezvous 2:

The inventor of this game, Englishmen, have arrived in Wellington. Its a bloody packed house theatre unlike the previous game. All whites: Kiwis and Britishers. You could hardly notice any unoccupied seat. Nobody knew how disappointing could be the day for The English players. Tim Southee, front line bowler of the NZ, rattling every batsman's defence. Stumps uprooting, bails flying, Kiwi fans roaring & yet the best was about to come. 124 runs on the board. A mere 124 which looked even slimmer going through Black Caps line up.  The 2nd innings was brutal. By the Kiwi brothers. A mad commentary was solely responsible for Brendon. Jimmy Anderson? Stuart Broad? And you thought you could press the Achilles heel of Kiwis. Every alternate ball Bazz rocked the Wellington stadium. Literally rocked.
Going down the pitch and clobbering over the fence. Yet another magic show by the NZ. 

Rendezvous 3:

Trans-Tasman rivalry. Big brother in younger brother's courtyard. Big brother is too big for younger brother's backyard. The guesses all went kaput. Trade horses were mad. The thunder bolt Trent Boult plummeted the OZ line up. Even the best couldn't be spared. Swinging the delivery very acutely. But mate, here in crowd, we have Australians too in large number. Men in Yellow, the favourites for the WC.
Johnson's confused. Captain Clarke's mad but silent. Once again Kiwis flying.
Yes, Bazz was launching Nuclear Missiles at ease. Untill Starc came in. Boy, what an exhilarating scene. Starc cruising past batsmen. Rippers after rippers. Mostly to the stumps. Hat-trick in a bloody 150 score. You could see a 6'4 guy who dominated the Lord of Rings Arena. Where was Gandalf? 9th down. 6 runs to go. Boult in strike. Starc runs towards the batsman as if he gonna hit the stumps and break it into pieces. Eyes fixed, Boult tensed and crowd in pin drop silent mode. Such was the gravity of the situation, as if the next ball could decide the fate of their lives forever. Starc zips past the umpire, releases the ball and it goes right on the spot. Then you see Boult with a blush. Blocked a bloody ripper. Not with a proper defence but he did manage to save his stumps. Now comes The Gandalf: Kane Williamson. More than ever Kiwi people are in such a relieved state. Everybody's pretty busy doing the math. How Kane could finish? Will he go only for boundary? Will he take doubles? Everybody was sure he wouldn't give the audience another shocker by rotating a strike. Pat came closer, bowled , Kane improvising went a bit farther from stumps, hit it into the crowd. Six!!!! Its a effing Six!! Can you imagine that? For a moment it seemed to me like Hobbits jumping in air, mad, happy, ecstatic, overwhelmed with joy, punching at each other, spilling beer. And Gandalf (Kane) waving his hand to them with a gesture "Countrymen, do not fear when Kane's here."

Note: Gandalf & Kane are the saviours. Both have beards. One long, the other short but dense.

Quarters- Knock out

West Indian fan 1- Hey nigga, this westpac stadium is too small for Gayle & Samuels.

Fan 2- Yeah homie, we gonna beat those punk butts.

In the meantime a calm Guptill was caressing the ball towards the fence.  Slowly he ticked the scoreboard. After 150, he was in adrenaline rush mode. He went all over the westpac. A freaking double century!! Guptill's wife, the black caps team, the whole stadium was going frenzy as the total score touched a whopping 393. An enormous score. Never ever been chased in any knockout stage.
In the end Gayle failed, so did West Indies.
An epic score by Martin. Best ever!

Semi-final:

"Taxi!! Taxi!! Hold on right there"

Driver- (Fagging a fat stick) Yeah! Where do  you wanna head for?

Kiwi fan- ANZAC??

Driver- What ? A cricket match? Dear Lord, boring cricket.
Come, i'll drop you. (Releasing a heap of smoke)

Kiwi fan- Boring? Come watch the match. I'll buy a ticket, if we won you buy me beer. Its the Proteas vs us.

Once again packed house with the Kiwi fans. You could notice a very few Africans. "Its a maximum!! AB and Miller are rampaging." Commentators busy using adjectives for sixes. Just the rain had stopped, Miller crashed in. 298 was the final target. A mammoth score. Whoever wins goes to final. A very crucial match of their lives. Close to heart. Walks out two batters. Skipper & Martin.

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. He's nervous but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs. The whole crowd goes so loud...bang six!! A six to Steyn. Bazz on fifth gear. The crowd is mad as forever. Erupting noises. The battle of five armies has begun. People howling, screaming and pumping fists in air. Bazz goes after and after the bowlers. Till he touches 59. Nobody in the crowd is ready to sit back and enjoy. All mad men. Terrific scenes. A big match without a drama is so insipid. Wickets fell. After 4, in came Elliot & Corey pulling the game to the end. But end is never peaceful or serene. A few dropped catches and a few misses. The maddening crowd is berserk. 2 balls, 5 needed to win. Steyn ruffling his hair talking to AB for field settings. Each guy there is tensed & so nervous they would not mind biting their nails. Steyn ready. Elliot ready. Fielders steady. But the crowd crazy. This could be the most epic match in a WC. Sweat dripping down AB's face. Faf busy wiping his sweat from his eyebrow. Steyn gunning down to Elliot and Elliot hits it over the top. Its a FUCKING SIX!!! Total calamity in the stadium. As if Elliot was born to hit that six. That moment was history. People fist-pumping, chest beating, head-banging, hugging, high-fiving and screaming their throats out. What a scene. All Kiwi players came running in. Elliot was a hero. But the equally best team lost. Sad for AB & Co. Tears everywhere. In Elliot's its tears of joy. In AB's its the desire to win a WC back home. It seemed like Thorin Okaenshield had won it for the Dwarves.

Final-CWC:

The G. The Colosseum. The MCG. I would name "The Mammoth Cricket Ground". Melbourne's party would begin in a few hours. But it wasn't for the black caps who hailed and prevailed throughout the WC and also two previous years. A meagre 183. With only Elliot's 83 playing in a different stratosphere. It wasn't enough for Clarke & co. It was an one sided affair. Collapse of Black caps batsmen.  Australians were filled with joy, exuberant and were content. 5th time they had done it.  The atmosphere was gloomy for NZ.

Mark:  You made it to the final for the first time and you lost. Did you play loose?

Bazz: We're outplayed in every department today. But the whole tournament it has been one hell of a ride. This is still the greatest time of our lives.

Everything was superb. Whether it was fielding or Bowling. Just one bad night. But I say Kiwis won hearts. A million's. That wasn't the end. This is the beginning of a new chapter. A new team. A new set of honed players eager to win everything. If any day you switch on to a cricket match & see 11 players on a field closing in. 4 or 5 slips in an ODI. Wink your eye, its the Bazz & co. Welcome to the world of New Zealand. Now sit back and enjoy because there is more coming up.

Abhisek Dash, A banker, aspiring writer, ardent cricket lover,  Indian and a Black Cap fan.