(Part 3)

"Oh! That's a wicket?! It's a wicket?! The bails are red? Was it a bowl-out or a hit-wicket?!" Wasim asked, baffled.

Feng, stunned, grabbed the ball and threw it back to Kazuna, whose expression remained impassive.

Before heading back, Kazuna cast a piercing glance at Seon Yul. "Playtime, ridiculing time and dominating time are all over." he declared.

With Islamabad's second wicket falling, the previously silent, dejected Karachi king's admirers erupted in delight as Ibn Sena and Seon Yul's 'Roaring' dissolved.

"Well, whether you call it 'faster than you can say Jack Robinson!' or 'in the blink of an eye, as if time itself had paused!' Kazuna's exceptional professionalism on the first ball of the PSL with a wicket has over thrown all odds as Ibn Sena departs the ground with a score of 22 off 13. A wonderful batting displayed. But, with this, the pressure on Karachi Kings has dissipated instantly. We now have…" Jones continued.

The middle schoolers gathering in a circle, encouraged each other jubilantly.

"Finally, a breakthrough! It was so tense!" Azazel exclaimed.

"I'm really happy," Xavier smiled.

"Me too," Poseidon agreed.

"Well done, Senior Kazuna. You rock!" Heber gave him a thumbs up.

Kazuna's face briefly lit up with a smile as he nodded. "Concentrate, everyone. Once you do, we're sure to get more of these," he advised.

"Yes," Helios replied, and the boys soon dispersed.

"Awesome, even with 'Roaring' activated… he just went in and…" Seraph remarked amazed.

"Bang! Right?" Senri winked, "That's my best buddy for you."

"Our Colossal Kazu, Kazu." Alan added with pride.

"He's grown into an exceptional player. I'm prouder than I've ever been," Evan added.

"Hm," Haruf agreed.

Rauf stared at Kazuna in silence.

Kazuna, walking back to the center of the field, glanced towards the pavilion. Adam and Cassiel gave him a thumbs up alongside Noah, Mikael, Haris, Haruf, and Ren, while Alan, Seles, and Yusuf smiled at him. Elias nodded calmly, and Orion flashed a grin. Pride evident in all their eyes. Kazuna then noticed Rauf, who, with his eyes closing indifferently, looked away.

"Thanks, Kazuna," Isa abruptly, patting his back.

"No need to thank me. We need to win, Isa. That's all I want. I'd do anything you ask for that," Kazuna responded.

Isa continued patting him with pride, saying, "Well done."

Rovan stepped onto the ground and ruffled Ibn Sena's hair.

"I'm sorry..." Ibn Sena apologized, his expression downcast.

"No need to apologize, Sena," Rovan reassured him.

"Don't fret about it. You made me proud. Just a little more, and you'll shine once we polish your ROARING. Go on, Romeo's waiting."

Ibn Sena blinked in contemplation.

"Just, don't forget to observe me closely, Sena. I'm about to give my all today," Rovan advised as he headed out.

Sena watched him curiously, nodding slightly, "Yes..."

"Sena, come on!" Hamza called, waving at him.

"Basid is bored without you," Emaad added.

"Venus misses you a lot as well," Mikael teased mischievously.

"W-hat?!" Venus retorted, embarrassed. "Why would I miss him?! I don't care at all!" he countered.

"Oh, you do. Now sit down," Hamit sighed.

"What?!" Venus cried in disbelief, "Not you too!"

"Pfft! Haha!" Ibn Sena chuckled, turning towards Karachi's pavilion one last time and smiling confidently at Kenzo.

Kenzo, acknowledging his prowess, nodded back.

"Now we have two right-handed batsmen at the crease, one of them being the current captain and an all-rounder," Ezekiel sighed, slumping slightly, "Why does it always seem to get harder?"

"It's only going to get tougher," Elias replied, "No use complaining about it."

Rovan, standing on the striker's crease adjusted his gloves as he looked up at Kazuna pondering, "How long has it been I wonder… 4 years I guess?" Showing a thumbs up to Seon Yul he positioned himself.

Kazuna delivering the second ball of the over aimed a swift Yorker at Rovan's feet. Returning it with a dot return, Rovan stood straight.

Kazuna grabbing the ball headed back. Only two more runs accumulated in the last two deliveries, Xavier rubbed the ball, throwing it back to Kazuna.

Seon yul on the non-striker's end observed him keenly, thinking, "It's the second last ball of his over and he hasn't even broken a sweat. What an alarming kid. I have been on my guard ever since he came to bowl."

Delivering the fifth ball of the over, Kazuna aimed for an inswinging Yorker. Rovan, alert to the dangerous delivery, initially attempted a flick shot but, in the last second, switched to a defensive stance, positioning his bat before his feet. Kazuna stopped the ball with his foot and picked it up.

"You really won't give us a break, will you?" Rovan asked, breaking a sweat.

Kazuna glanced at him, apathetically. "Did you think about giving my juniors a break? I'm not so generous. I thought you knew that."

Rovan was rendered speechless. "Ah... he's not the same Kazuna anymore. No longer a friend or past companion. In this match, he is my foe and Karachi's flag bearer," he thought. "Very well," he muttered with a distant beam.

With only a single run accumulated on the last ball of the power play, Islamabad stood at 62 at the loss of 2 wickets. The Run rate1 descending to 10.33.

The powerplay break in progress, the boys gathered themselves before the pavilion, discussing the altered fielding placements and bowling strategies.

"Well listen up everyone…" Elias took the boys attention, who kept their sports drinks and gears aside, paying complete attention to him.

"Next up are the spinners. On the plus side, we have several opportunities to get Seon Yul out since he's a pace player. On the downside, Rovan Baig is a spin specialist. His keen eye and ability to stay grounded once he's settled will be challenging," Elias explained.

"Stay grounded once he's settled …?" Heber asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"What he means is that Rovan is a defensive batsman. Unlike Seon Yul, he won't play aggressively. Instead, he focuses on building partnerships and protecting his wicket. He has excellent footwork, stance, and technique," Kazuna clarified.

Feng sighed in frustration. "What else does he lack that we can exploit to beat him?" he asked, somewhat sarcastically.

The others ignored his comment, while Azazel patted his shoulder in agreement.

"Ultimately, the real question is how spinners will handle these players," Poseidon pointed out.

"That's right." Musa entered, taking their attention. "Number 1, Variation of spins: off-spin, leg-spin, top-spin, to create opportunities for them to make mistakes. Number 2, Change the pace of your deliveries: Vary the speed of deliveries to disrupt their rhythm and tempt mistakes. Number 3, find flaws in their stance whether, it's a defensive batsman like Rovan or an offensive one, they are bound to show openings; when they do make sure you create pressure and have the best fielding placement placed." he advised. Turning to Ryan, he smiled, "Got it, my little boy?"

Ryan, who had been listening to him quiet intensely and focused, immediately looked away, stuttering, "Of-course, it's not like I didn't know all that…" he rubbed his neck slightly embarrassed.

Musa smiled lovingly.

"Pacers in turn must use the same strategies slightly differing in the aspect of variations. They can use Bounce and Short-Pitched Deliveries to challenge the batsman's technique and force them to play risky shots. This can induce mistakes or create opportunities for wickets. You can also aim at the stumps for an LBW or bowl out. Furthermore, exploit any swing or seam movement available to make the batsman play deliveries they might not be comfortable with. This can lead to edges or misjudged shots." Alan continued. Turning to Seraph he asked, "Right, Seraph?"

Seraph nodded, "Yes."

"Alright." Isa agreed, along with the rest.

"Elias." Aigou called.

"Hm?" Elias smiled.

"Any changes to the balling order we just discussed?" Aigou asked.

Elias, momentarily silent, shook his head, "No, I think it's better you pursue on like this. It's a good line up. If something needs to be improved, I'll make sure to inform."

"Okay." Aigou showed a thumbs up.

The boys, heading inside the field once again, positioned themselves on their new fielding placements.

A cold wind blowing past Elias, his lips were etched with a flat line as he recalled…