Australia vs ICC World XI: match 1

[Rachael]

Scorecard here: http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/NEW/LIVE/f...05OCT2005.html

Australia won the toss and elected to bat.

ODI # 2282
ICC Super Series ODIs, 2005-06, 1st Match
Australia v ICC World XI
Docklands Stadium, Melbourne (day/night)
5 October 2005 (50-over match)

Result:
Series:

Toss: Australia
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pak) and SJA Taufel
TV Umpire: RE Koertzen (SA)
Match Referee: RS Madugalle (SL)
Man of the Match:


Australia innings (50 overs maximum)                            R   B   4  6
+AC Gilchrist                            b Kallis              45  48   7  0
SM Katich                            c & b Muralitharan        58  79   4  0
*RT Ponting           c Lara             b Pollock             23  26   1  1
DR Martyn             c Vettori          b Muralitharan         0   3   0  0
A Symonds             c Flintoff         b Vettori             36  54   1  1
MJ Clarke                            c & b Vettori              6  16   0  0
MEK Hussey            c Pietersen        b Vettori             32  44   1  0
SR Watson             c Lara             b Vettori              8  15   0  0
B Lee                 not out                                  26  17   1  1
NW Bracken            not out                                   2   3   0  0
Extras                (b 2, lb 6, w 6, nb 5)                   19
Total                 (8 wickets, 50 overs)                   255

DNB: GD McGrath.

FoW: 1-80 (Gilchrist, 14.1 ov), 2-128 (Ponting, 22.2 ov),
     3-128 (Martyn, 23.3 ov), 4-142 (Katich, 27.2 ov),
     5-154 (Clarke, 31.5 ov), 6-206 (Symonds, 41.4 ov),
     7-223 (Watson, 45.5 ov), 8-231 (Hussey, 47.5 ov).

Bowling                      O      M      R      W
Shoaib Akhtar                9      1     49      0 (3nb, 1w)
Pollock                      8      1     32      1
Flintoff                     9      1     66      0 (1nb, 3w)
Kallis                       4      0     26      1 (1nb, 1w)
Muralitharan                10      0     41      2 (1w)
Vettori                     10      1     33      4

ICC World XI team:
 V Sehwag, +KC Sangakkara, JH Kallis, BC Lara, KP Pietersen,
 R Dravid, A Flintoff, *SM Pollock, DL Vettori, Shahid Afridi,
 Shoaib Akhtar.

Australia full substitute: CL White (unused).

ICC World XI full substitute: Shahid Afridi (M Muralitharan, Australia innings,
 43.0 ov).

[greg]

Australia haven't got enough runs against this batting line up.Afridi has replaced Murali too so it is stronger now.Do i not like the supersub rule.
255 is a good score but the ROW side is so strong i expect them to do it.

[flanflinger]

I get the feeling the ICC team will chase this score down... they have so many quality batsmen that they could do it at a canter...

[Rachael]

I love this:

Bowling                      O      M      R      W
McGrath                      3      1      2      1

Anything's possible with this guy going well. The cricinfo text commentary runs as follows:

5.1 McGrath to Sehwag, OUT: gone! short of a good length delivery,
        Sehwag moves back and pulls it straight to Hussey at midwicket,
        McGrath strike !  World XI one down

       ICC World XI 18/1, Partnership of 18
       V Sehwag  c Hussey b McGrath  6 (10b 0x4 0x6)
       KC Sangakkara 10* (22b 1x4) GD McGrath 2.1-0-2-1

       Was not short enough to go for the pull and Sehwag was in no
        position to play that shot but he did! - now Watson can breath
        freely

ps. tne comment about Watson refers to this:

4.3 Lee to Sehwag, no run, edged and dropped! good length delivery
        outside the off stump, Sehwag drives at it with no real foot-foot,
        ball clips the edge and goes straight to Watson at first slip,
        sitter dropped - how costly is that going to be!

I can't believe Sehwag has got such a following when his footwork is worse than Trescothick's!

[crabs]

Vettori and Murali really helped out the World XI cause, would have been looking nearer 300 if not for them.

[Rachael]

It gets better: McGrath's got a real batsman out as well :-)

11.6 McGrath to Kallis, OUT: and McGrath strikes back with a beauty!
        fuller in length and shaping in, Kallis plays down the wrong line
        and the ball hits the back-pad right in front of the stumps - loud
        appeal and up goes the finger

       ICC World XI 45/2, Partnership of 27
       JH Kallis  lbw b McGrath  8 (23b 1x4 0x6)

Despite the boundary off the preceding ball McGrath's bowling figures are stunning:

Bowlers:		O	M	R	W	Econ				
GD McGrath (RFM)	6.0	1	13	2	2.17		(0nb, 1w)	Latrobe Street

[Rachael]

Bracken's gettingt in on the act now:

12.5 Bracken to Lara, OUT: gone! good length delivery outside the off
        stump, driven hard but straight to Symonds at cover, this is a
        huge wicket! Lara walks back for a duck - World XI in trouble here

       ICC World XI 50/3, Partnership of 5
       BC Lara  c Symonds b Bracken  0 (2b 0x4 0x6)
       KC Sangakkara 33* (43b 4x4) NW Bracken 2.5-0-11-1

At the end of the 15th over the RoW side are not looking too hot: 58/3 (RR: 3.87 RRR: 198/35 = 5.66). THat said... McGrath's spell is over (7-1-14-2) and he's only got three overs left.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Rachael

Anything's possible with this guy going well.

True but with ODI's McGrath can't bowl everyover the key is whether White (just brought on), Watson, Symonds etc have the quality to keep some of the best batters in the world in check..

Originally Posted by Rachael

I can't believe Sehwag has got such a following when his footwork is worse than Trescothick's!

True... But with a Test batting average of 55 with 10 hundreds in just 59 innings, you can see that his natural hand-eye co-ordination you don't always need great footwork.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by flanflinger

True... But with a Test batting average of 55 with 10 hundreds in just 59 innings, you can see that his natural hand-eye co-ordination you don't always need great footwork.

So long as the footwork is good enough to ensure you are well balanced and well positioned to play your chosen shot that's unarguable... but I'd love to see Sehwag play McGrath, Pollock, Simon Jones and the like on an uncovered wicket in England in May :-)

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by Rachael

I'd love to see Sehwag play McGrath, Pollock, Simon Jones and the like on an uncovered wicket in England in May :-)

That's just sadistic! A bit like suggesting you'd like Pathan, Zoysa, Pollock and Vaas to bowl to Afridi, Gayle, Gilchrist and Pietersen in 40 degrees Celsius on a Sharjah flat-track with 50 yard boundaries!