3 Wickets for 10

Yesterday some friends and i gathered to watch the second final of the one-day cricket. Australia had lost the first match of the best-of-three series, so this was the last chance for the green-and-gold.

Second ball of the match, Gilchrist is out for no score. A few minutes later and Katich is lbw. Martyn raced to 8, but was out just as quickly. Three players out for just 10 runs and things are looking very bad. The tv people (as they do) continue to show replay after replay, and by now one starts to feel quite deflated.

Australia, the great team that they are, managed to even up the contest, and continued to take the ascendency. By the end of the innings Australia (somewhat amazingly) had posted 368 - its highest ever team total.

Now, as those early replays are aired again, they take on a whole new meaning. They are no longer reminders of a dire situation, they are the beginnings of a wonderful innings, which may not have taken place without those early setbacks.

I reckon the same goes in life. Bad things happen. Unhappy things happen. Stressful things happen. Sometimes it can feels like a lost cause - but don't lose heart! Hang in there, and there's a fair chance things will get much better. Then those setbacks become part of a great innings.