The Last Over

🏏 Title: “The Last Over”

Sometimes, the biggest victories aren’t the ones on the scoreboard.


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It was a dusty afternoon in Multan, the kind that made the cricket ball bounce a little harder and the sun beat a little hotter. Thirteen-year-old Raheel adjusted his grip on the bat, his hands rough with calluses from playing barefoot on cracked cement for years.

Their team—just boys from the neighborhood, wearing mismatched jerseys and slippers—was one wicket away from losing against a much stronger club from the next town. Raheel wasn’t the best batter. He wasn’t even supposed to play today. But the last over had come down to him.

The bowler from the other side, taller and stronger, smiled as he stepped into his run-up. Everyone watching knew this would be over in a ball or two.

But Raheel had a secret.

He remembered what his elder brother said the night before:
"It doesn’t matter if they laugh, little lion. Just stand. Face it. Even if you fall."

The ball flew toward him—fast, short, bouncing high. Raheel ducked.

The next ball was full. He defended it.

Three more balls. They needed 12 runs.

He backed up. Focused. He wasn’t thinking of the crowd or even winning. Just of that moment—his breath, his bat, the ball.

The fourth delivery came, and Raheel swung.

Crack!

It soared over the fielder’s head for four.

The boys on the sidelines cheered.

Next ball—six! Over mid-wicket.

Now 2 runs needed from the final ball.

The bowler frowned. He threw a slower one, hoping to confuse him.

Raheel waited. Waited. And then tapped it softly past the bowler.

He didn’t wait to watch.

He ran.

So did his partner.

One.

Two.

Safe.

The whole street exploded in shouts. His teammates lifted him in the air, dust and joy everywhere.

He had done it—not just won the match, but proved something deeper: that heart beats muscle when it matters most.


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🔥 Moral of the story:

Courage isn’t about being the strongest—it’s about standing tall when it counts