Australia V World Xi, 1st ODI - Australia seal convincing win Options

[zashakeel]

A typically clinical bowling performance overcame a less distinguished fielding effort as Australia dismantled a star-studded World XI, winning the first of the three Super Series matches by 93 runs under lights, and a roof, at the Telstra Dome while it rained on the rest of Melbourne. Ricky Ponting's men chose to bat, put 255 on the board, and then made it seem more like 355 with canny bowling.

Kumar Sangakkara must have wondered if he was back in Colombo batting for Nondescripts Cricket Club as he ploughed a lone furrow, stitching together a stylish, yet occasionally streaky, half-century while all around him faltered and fell. The target of 256 appeared on the lower side, even accounting for a sluggish outfield, but Glenn McGrath showed why he is still the most lethal thing with a new ball in hand.

Virender Sehwag found that you cannot pull McGrath off a length and get away with it, hitting straight to Michael Hussey at midwicket. Jacques Kallis was audacious enough to come down the pitch and hit McGrath over cover, but was soon trapped in front by one that swung in late. Then Brian Lara - a big draw in this team - drove Nathan Bracken straight to short cover. Rahul Dravid battled to steady the ship, but 50 for 3 became 75 for 4 when he mis-hit a pull off Brett Lee, who bowled with pace and bounce in his second spell.

Kevin Pietersen, who tormented the Australians all through the Ashes summer, came upon a bowler who he had not taken apart, and was trapped in front by one that Shane Watson got to jag back in. Soon after Watson should also have had Andrew Flintoff, who pulled straight to Lee at deep backward square-leg, but the catch was floored. Watson barely had time to bemoan his luck before inducing another false shot - this time from Sangakkara who cut towards point - only to see Ponting, juggle, fumble and somehow manage to hold on to the ball.

If the road ahead looked difficult at 101 for 6, it became next to impossible when Shahid Afridi, the Supersub, was trapped in front for 2 by a flat, quick offbreak from Andrew Symonds. Watson then capped off an excellent display on the field by swooping in from deep backward square-leg, picking the ball up one-handed and throwing the stumps down from outside the thirty-yard circle to find Shaun Pollock short of his crease.

Flintoff, like Sangakkara had earlier on, battled on, but without support there was never any real chance of launching an assault on 256 from 118 for 8. Sangakkara's 65 included some fine strokes as he uninhibitedly took the aerial route whenever offered width outside off, and flicked and drove wristily through the on-side when the ball was full and straight. But it was nowhere near enough. Flintoff kept the crowd interested with 38, but when he holed out to long-on with the score on 150, giving Watson his third wicket, the game was over.

Australia's batting could well have gone the World XI way, with wickets falling at regular intervals after a fine start. Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich, opening the batting, put on 80, thanks mainly to Gilchrist, who went after the bowling while Katich was content biding his time. Gilchrist had rattled up 45 off just 48 balls before being cleaned up by a full one from Kallis that came in just a touch. Ponting said hello to Flintoff with a cracking pulled six, but played one shot too many and perished on 23, trying to come down the pitch and loft Pollock out of the ground.

Then Muttiah Muralitharan applied the famous Kandy choke. Big spinning offbreaks garnished with the odd fizzing doosra proved too much to digest for Damien Martyn, who tamely chipped to mid-on, and Katich (68) who closed the face of the bat early and popped back a return catch. What Murali began Daniel Vettori ended. The hallmark of quality finger spin is accuracy, and Vettori held the ball virtually on a string, varying his pace, trajectory and angle of delivery like an old master.

Vettori accounted for Symonds, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Watson, but not before Symonds and Hussey had compiled invaluable 30s. When the Australian innings ended on 255, thanks to a late flurry from Lee, Vettori would have believed his 4 for 31 had put the World XI on track to victory. Then again, this is Australia, and dominating half the game is often not enough to ensure victory.


How they were out


Australia

Adam Gilchrist b Kallis 45 (80 for 1)
Played around a full one that angled in from round the wicket

Ricky Ponting c Lara b Pollock 23 (128 for 2)
Mis-hit an attempted big shot coming down the pitch

Damien Martyn c Lara b Muralitharan 0 (128 for 3)
Chipped to mid-on

Simon Katich c & b Muralitharan 58 (142 for 4)
Closed the face of the bat too early

Michael Clarke c & b Vettori 6 (154 for 5)
Beaten in the flight

Andrew Symonds c Flintoff b Vettori 36 (206 for 6)
Holed out to long-on

Shane Watson c Lara b Vettori 8 (223 for 7)
Slogged to midwicket

Michael Hussey c Pietersen b Vettori 33 (231 for 8)
Went for a big hit at the end of the innings

World XI


Virender Sehwag c Hussey b McGrath 6 (18 for 1)
Pulled to midwicket

Jacques Kallis lbw b McGrath 8 (45 for 2)
Missed a full swinging delivery

Brian Lara c Symonds b Bracken 0 (50 for 3)
Drove on the up to short cover

Rahul Dravid c Ponting b Lee 4 (75 for 4)
Mis-hit a pull to off

Kevin Pietersen lbw b Watson 2 (82 for 5)
Missed one that jagged back in

Kumar Sangakkara c Ponting b Watson 65 (101 for 6)
Flashed to point

Shahid Afridi lbw b Symonds 2 (104 for 7)
Trapped in front by a fast, straight one

Shaun Pollock run out (Watson) 5 (118 for 8)
Beaten by a one-handed pick up and direct hit from deep backward square-leg

Andrew Flintoff c McGrath b Watson 38 (150 for 9)
Holed out to long-on

Daniel Vettori c Ponting b Lee 15 (162 for 10)
Guided to point

[YaarMere]

In Ponting's own words: They are the best players but we are the best team.

[qhabibi]

World XI Lose The Match Because Lack Of Leadership........Shawn Pollock is the Captain Of World XI who is not a Captain Of His Own Home Team..............

[tahir77]

someone tell me the schedule of one day and test match

[Anil4]

Oct 2005

Wed 5 (D/N) Australia v ICC World XI Telstra Dome, Melbourne 1st ODI

Fri 7 (D/N) Australia v ICC World XI Telstra Dome, Melbourne 2nd ODI

Sun 9 (D/N) Australia v ICC World XI Telstra Dome, Melbourne 3rd ODI

Fri 14 - Wed 19 Australia v ICC World XI Sydney Cricket Ground Test


As I'm typing this, Gilchrist has just brought about his century off 74 balls. I think one is more committed when playing for one's country.

Anil

[zashakeel]

As I'm typing this, Gilchrist has just brought about his century off 74 balls. I think one is more committed when playing for one's country.

Anil
[/quote]


Adam Gilchrist rocked the Telstra Dome with an innings of scintillating brilliance as Australia gained an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match one-day series with a 55-run win in Melbourne. After a tepid opening match, there were plenty of fireworks on display in the second game: 601 runs were scored in 95.3 overs, but in the end, Gilchrist's blistering 103 off 79 balls - the fastest century by an Australian in a one-day international - was the difference between the two sides.

Gilchrist's tour de force helped Australia power themselves to a seemingly unassailable 328 for 4, but even that score seemed under threat during the first half of the World XI's reply, as Chris Gayle and Kumar Sangakkara decided to administer some power-hitting of their own. However, a flurry of wickets - the result of tight bowling, super fielding, and some panic-stricken running between the wickets - meant that the run-chase fizzled out much before the last ball was bowled.

Gilchrist was well supported in his destruction by the rest of the Australian batting cast - Simon Katich played second fiddle to perfection in making 47 and adding 110 for the first wicket, while Ricky Ponting (66), Damien Martyn (54) and Andrew Symonds (31 off 14 balls) ensured that the outstanding start wasn't frittered away.

The afternoon show, though, belonged to Gilchrist. Shoaib Akhtar troubled him occasionally early on with a few that reared disconcertingly on a pitch which offered pace and bounce, but once Gilchrist and Katich saw off that early storm, it was fair weather all the way through. Pace and spin came alike to Gilchrist, who was especially severe on Andrew Flintoff, getting sweet revenge for all the torment he had endured during the Ashes. Square-cuts and drives down the ground flowed as Flintoff leaked 20 from the ten balls he bowled to Gilchrist.

It also helped that this surface was far more unforgiving for the slow bowlers than the one on which the first match was played. That meant the spinners couldn't do the choking act like they had on Wednesday. Neither Muttiah Muralitharan - easily the best bowler for World XI - nor Daniel Vettori got much turn from this pitch, and Gilchrist, especially, made merry, twice slog-sweeping Murali over midwicket for sixes. Shaun Pollock shuffled his bowling around, held back his final Power Play, but he was clutching at straws.

Even when Gilchrist did finally perish, there wasn't much respite as Ponting and Martyn took over smoothly. For Martyn, especially, it was a pleasing return to form after all the flak he has copped post-Ashes. This innings was laced with typically sumptuous and effortless strokeplay, with the lofted flick, inside-out cover-drive and delectable square-cuts all thrown in for good measure. Ponting, on the other hand, was characteristically ruthless on any errors in length, playing a couple of stunning front-foot pulls off Shoaib and Pollock. And Symonds's final charge ensured a final total which was always likely to be too steep a target even for some of the best batsmen in the game.

If Gilchrist set the stands alight with his furious onslaught, then Gayle and Sangakkara offered the perfect riposte when World XI began their run-chase. Their batting styles were different - Gayle preferred the audacious, clunky blows down the ground and square of the wicket, while Sangakkara's approach was more cultured and orthodox, but no less exhilarating. After a cameo from Virender Sehwag (21 from 15 balls), Gayle, who replaced Shahid Afridi in the team, regaled the crowd with some stunning strokes - including a tonk over cover for six off Brett Lee - in a 98-run stand with Sangakkara which came in just 12 overs.

After a relatively sedate start, Sangakkara joined in the act too, creaming Watson for three fours through the off side in an over. Now it was Ponting's turn to hold back the Power Plays, as World XI blazed to 118 in 15 overs.

Then, it all began to unravel, as four top-order wickets went down in the next 7.2 overs, tilting the balance Australia's way. Gayle perished while attempting a heave through the off side, while Brian Lara fell as tamely as he had in the first match, driving a catch to cover. The run-out syndrome took effect too, as Sangakkara spoiled a magnificent innings by going for a non-existent single, and Jacques Kallis fell to a marginal third-umpire decision.

Andrew Flintoff kept the fight going with a valiant 42 with typically powerful hits to the fence, but Australia continued to chip away at the wickets - Rahul Dravid and Pietersen, who came out to bat with a runner after suffering from severe cramps in the field, both got starts but couldn't carry on. Meanwhile, the spiralling asking rate allowed Stuart Clark, the debutant for Australia, to get a couple of wickets as batsman after batsman perished while attempting the big hits. In the end, Australia clinched it with plenty to spare, ensuring that only personal pride will be at stake for the third match, on Sunday.


How they were out


Australia

Simon Katich b Muralitharan 47 (110 for 1)
Deceived by the doosra, and bowled between bat and pad

Adam Gilchrist b Sehwag 103 (173 for 2)
Swung across the line at a full-length delivery and missed

Ricky Ponting run out (Flintoff) 66 (276 for 3)
Called across for a quick single as the ball dribbled off to the leg side

Damien Martyn b Flintoff 54 (276 for 4)
Inside-edged an attempted pull

World XI

Virender Sehwag c Ponting b Lee 21 (27 for 1)
Failed to ride the bounce of a lifter, and spooned a catch off the splice to short point

Chris Gayle c Gilchrist b Watson 54 (125 for 2)
Feathered a nick while attempting to blast one through the off side

Kumar Sangakkara run out (Martyn) 61 (151 for 3)
Flicked to midwicket and went for a run which was never on

Brian Lara c Symonds b Bracken 5 (157 for 4)
Mistimed a drive straight to cover

Jacques Kallis run out (Ponting) 11 (157 for 5)
Done in by a direct under-arm hit from short midwicket

Andrew Flintoff c Symonds b Bracken 42 (220 for 6)
Drove a full, incoming delivery to cover

Rahul Dravid b Symonds 26 (231 for 7)
Backed away to play the cut and missed

Kevin Pietersen c Watson b Clark 16 (250 for 8)
Holed out to long-on

Shaun Pollock c White b Clark 15 (267 for 9)
Lofted one straight to long-off

Shoaib Akhtar c Watson b Bracken 2 (273 all out)
Mistimed a drive to cover

[tahir77]

Thanks Bhirgu bhai

[qhabibi]

World Xi Has Lost Because Of lack Of Good Captaincy.......And Some players Like Brain Lara, Kallis ,Pollock, Afridi ,Shewag Dont Show Their Full Abilities in These Matches..............If Pollock Will Be Still Captain Of Test Squad then I M Very Sorry To Say Australia Will Easily Win Test Match.....

[Akhtar]

Qasim bhai,

Graeme Smith is captain of the Test side. Here is a question for you all:

Will Smith pick his good buddies Kallis and Shaun Pollock, over Inzamam and Akhtar ?

[NATURE]

Hmmmm .... Are you from Pakistan or somehow related to Pakistan ?