Fighting newer battles ©Getty
In the last week of a tough South African tour, Pakistan finally managed to secure a win in a rain-marred encounter. Despite losing both the limited-overs series, Pakistan leave the country on a winning note. Nida Dar, the veteran all-rounder, through her tell-all diary, invites us into the bubble life as she documents her journey each day of this 24-day tour of South Africa.
Excerpts from the diary (Day 17-24)
January 28, 2021
Day 17: Growing up
Today, we resumed practice. I worked on my power hitting. I've also started watching a new Indian show - Tandav - and guess what, the name of the lead female character is Sana Mir, my buddy!
I've grown up and mellowed down a bit in my 30s, but I was quite a nuisance when I was younger. I loved playing pranks or troubling my teammates. I didn't see what I was saying, where and to whom. I have picked on Sana as well a few times. She really enjoyed my Punjabi punchlines. I see similar traits, minus my carelessness, in some of the younger players as well in the team, especially Fatima Sana.
You can't change a person's nature easily. Luckily, that maturity has come even in my cricket over the years. Earlier, my game was aggressive at all times but it only led me to failures. My coaches, especially the ones who have come since 2017, helped me evolve. They told me that if I have the ability to hit big, I can do that any time, I don't need to prove that every time I walk out to bat. "A good player is one who can absorb the pressure and play according to the situation. And it's always better to have more dimensions to your game," they always said. I've applied that approach to my game and that has helped me understand my batting better and given me more satisfaction as a player.
Also, I've stocked up my supplies for the Zimbabwe tour. Hopefully, the others have been mindful of this too and packed accordingly.
January 29, 2021
Day 18: Away from home... alone
Honestly, I was confident that we could defend 125 today. That's the sort of score I had targeted when I came on to bat. It was a slow outfield but the South African batters didn't throw their wickets away, and in end won the game
Usually, it takes me one to one and a half months into a tour to start missing home. We've just about crossed that period here. We've been away from home since December. That's enough time for me to start getting homesick.
I felt the same way when I had gone to Australia as well to play in WBBL. That was quite a long season. I was alone there, there was no roommate either, and we had back-to-back matches. It was a packed year for me, where for a period of nearly six months, I was constantly out of the country. To add to it, I was missing desi food. They arranged that food for me and even helped me out with restaurants that serve desi food. But after a point, you don't even feel like going out alone and eating. At a point when my niece was getting married, a fleeting thought had crossed my mind that I would much rather fly back home and attend the function. But that's the challenge as a professional sportsperson.
January 30, 2021
Day 19: Finding the right note
While some of the players went for practice today, some of us chose to take an afternoon nap. I went to sleep at 1 PM after attending the meetings and woke up at 4.30. It felt like I had completed the rest I had missed out on for the last 10 days. When I woke up, I felt fresh and happy. When the team returned from practice, we sat together for a cup of tea and chatted till evening. I have also started watching Bosch on Netflix.
Had the pandemic not been there, Anam Amin and I would have gone shopping. I don't usually like shopping online. What I do like to do though is listening to dhoom-dhadaka music. The elders in the house prefered listening to Mehdi Hasan's ghazals and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's qawallis. Growing up, I don't think there was a single Kishore Kumar or Lata Mangeshkar song that wasn't played at home. Even today, everyone would go "Wah! Ki aawaz hai" every time a Mohammad Rafi song is played. But our generation didn't carry similar tastes. Growing up in the 1990s, we became fans of Shah Rukh Khan movies, and as a result, his songs became popular for me and my siblings. I am even a fan of Salman Khan, I like his action and comedy.
There's a sound system In my room and in my car, and I play dance music loudly and at all times, especially while washing my car. There are quite a few Badshah and Yo Yo Honey songs as well in my collection.
January 31, 2021
Day 20: How?
Among all the players outside Pakistan, apart from Jahanara Alam, Shabnim Ismail is one of the cricketers I'm closest to. When we were playing together for Sydney Thunder in WBBL, we would often step out to shop and eat together. Today, not only did she dismiss me but also
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