DALE held the ball between his fingers, the heat from the leather sending a burning sensation up his arm, and he breathed in deeply, his mind totally focused on that defining moment of his life. He stood at the top of his mark, and the crowd went silent. The dancers froze, the drums stopped beating, and tension blanketed the stadium. One delivery to bowl, one wicket to win!

Dale closed his eyes, his young heart pounding, sweat on his brows, and in his mind’s eye, he saw his social worker – her pleasant smile, the sound of her mellow voice as she spoke about love; love of doing what you do best and the strong self-belief and confidence that gives you a sense of worth. He smiled just a little as he began his run-up, his tall, well-built body in perfect timing with his strides, almost like a jungle cat. His arm came around, and with all the strength in his young body, he sent down a delivery; the ball seemed to scorch the ground and the batsman missed the shot, beaten by raw pace, the middle stump knocked out of the ground. The crowd erupted in wild excitement, the drums rolled and the dancing girls celebrated in style.

An 18-year-old bowling sensation had won a big 20/20 final for his country.
It was a really big moment in his life to savour and reflect on a success he had never dreamt of, a career he had two years ago never spared a thought for. He had been in a gang with other young boys in a different league, transporting packages with their bicycles. The money was good and the freedom somewhat exhilarating, but like his mother had warned him, all good things come to an end. The police had caught him and a few of the other bikers and they were hauled to jail.

The packages they had been delivering contained drugs.
A year at the Correctional Center was the sentence he had received and he could not forget the sad, helpless look in his mother’s eyes and her tears as they took him away. He had chosen the wrong path and broke his mother’s heart – a single, hard-working woman. For months he could not settle down, rebelling, hating being there, and wanting to get out, until one day, a new social worker arrived at the centre and Dale’s life changed one day at a time. She was like a breath of fresh air, like the mother he missed so much. The enthusiasm and positivity she brought with her gradually pushed away the darkness that had engulfed his very being, pulling back the curtains to show him a window where he saw life could be as good as you make it. Her teachings showed him how to turn the negatives into positives and to follow your heart to realise your dreams. He wasn’t sure what he wanted until then and, one day, he went out into the recreational area and, picking up a cricket ball, said to the coach, “I’m ready.”

Cricket is the heartbeat of the Caribbean, and the new 20/20 games are sweeping the cricketing world, alluring and captivating. It has awoken the young to a new era of cricket, and Dale knows where his heart is and where he belongs. With his height and the power in his arms, he knew he could make the ball talk and talk it did, game after game, as he developed into a lethal fast bowler.
But he knew he could not have done it without his social worker’s invaluable lessons.

She was his inspiration, her words guiding him stride after stride, ball after ball, to reach for the stars and keep alive always his love and passion for the game. He was now learning all the good values in life he had missed because of his delinquent lifestyle, and this time, he knew he would change for the better. And at the end of the year as he prepared to leave, he had brought a bouquet of flowers for his social worker to thank her for her invaluable help that brought about such a rewarding change in his life. He had left with a song in his heart, and as he neared home, he saw his mother at the gate waiting for him, with happy tears in her eyes. He hugged her and said, “I’m sorry”, and taking the red ball from his bag, he put it in her hand and told her,

“All our dreams as a family will now be fulfilled.”
The passion from his heart and the ball in his hand ignited a fire that would write his name in cricket’s history. As he held the winner’s trophy above his head and celebrated with his teammates, he knew it was just the beginning.