ICC World XI in 12-run win over Victoria

CLIFFORD Landers reporting from Australia

Melbourne (Sunday) - The ICC World XI escaped an embarrassing loss despite registering a 12-run win against a Victoria XI in a practice game played at the Junction Oval here today.

Sri Lanka's wicket-keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara fared well with the bat and gloves while spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan bowled below expectations as the World XI were dealt a scare by the probable state side.

After his skipper Shaun Pollock won the toss and elected to bat, Sangakkara opened the batting with Indian Virender Sehwag and started off cautiously providing a promising start with 53 runs off 12 overs before Sehwag departed for 32.

While Sangakkara looked very confident it also brought about his downfall as he attempted to chip Victoria XI's most successful bowler in medium-pacer Shane

Harwood over mid-wicket but failed and was caught at short mid-wicket for a well compiled 42 off 49 balls with six fours. He departed immediately after the first water-break with the score at 94 for 3 off 19 overs and was third highest scorer for his side.

The ICC World XI was reeling at 131 for 6 as Harwood ripped through the top batting order and had figures of 4 for 17 off 8 overs. But a face saving partnership for the seventh wicket between a determined Rahul Dravid (66 off 80 balls with 3 fours) and Chris Gayle (37 off 47 balls with 1 four and two sixes) was abruptly cut short by a dubious stumping decision by Rudi Kuertzen for 54.

As Gayle was beginning to cut loose the decision by Kuertzen had him and the sellout crowd of over 9000 unhappy. His back foot stayed appeared to be planted in the crease while attempting to smash leg-spinner and skipper Cameron White but Kurtzen thought otherwise.

Again the defiant Dravid was joined by his skipper Shaun Pollock to add a further 53 runs off just 49 balls for the eighth before he was out at 258 in the 48th over. Pollock scored an entertaining unbeaten 54 off just 39 balls with 4 fours and one six and boosted the score to an imposing 281 for 8 off 50 overs. Harwood finished with 4 for 37.

When the World XI took the field, a shadow of uncertainty and anxiousness prevailed prior to and during Muttiah Muralitharan's call-up to bowl in the 20th over by Pollock from Rudi Kurtzen's end with umpire Darrel Hair- his one time enemy- officiating at square-leg.

Murali was close to claiming a wicket off the 5th ball but Lara's outstretched hands failed to hold on to the catch at mid-on off opener Michael Klinger.

Klinger (62 off 80 balls with six fours) put on 90 runs with Australia Super Test cap Brad Hodge for the second wicket before an attempted six was caught by Kevin Pieterson at deep mid-wicket boundary off Vettori.

Hodge who started off unhurriedly later took on Murali and clobbered him for six over mid-wicket to reach his half-century in 81 balls with 4 fours and then used the long-handle effectively to catch up with the required run rate of over eight runs per over.

But Murali had the last laugh when his third ball of his second spell had Hodge caught by Lara at long-off for a whirlwind 92 in 116 balls with six fours and two sixes to be 195 for 4 in 40 overs.

While Murali's initial five overs cost 31 runs his second spell had 2 for 23 and finished with 2 for 54 from his 10 overs. Pace machine Shoaib Akhtar was the most economical bowler with 2 for 29.

Hodge had also shared 71 runs for the third wicket with the dangerous David Hussey (31 in 28 balls with 2 fours and one six) before Hussey was brilliantly caught at deep cover by a diving Jacque Kallis off Ntini.

ICC WORLD XI INNINGS 

V. Sewag c Lindsay b Harwood 		32 
K. Sangakkara c D. Hussey b Welsford 	42 
J. Kallis c Denton b Harwood 		6 
B. Lara c D. Hussey b Harwood 		9 
K. Pieterson c Crosthwaite b Harwood 	5 
R. Dravid c White b Lewis 		66 
S. Afridi b White 			18 
C. Gayle st Crosthwaite b White		37 
S. Pollock not out 			54 
D. Vettori not out 			1 

Extras (lb-3, w-7, nb-1) 		11 

TOTAL (for 8 wickets off 50 overs) 	281 

FALL OF WICKETS: 53, 80, 94, 98, 107, 131, 195, 258 

BOWLING: C. Lewis 9-1-58-1, G. Denton 10-0-64-0, 
S. Harwood 10-1-37-4, Lindsay 2-0-7-0, T. Welsford 6-0-29-1, 
C. White 10-0-49-2, B. Hodge 3-0-24-0 

VICTORIA XI INNINGS 

N. Jewell lbw Akhtar 			2 
M. Klinger c Peiterson b Vettori 		62 
B. Hodge c Lara b Muralitharan 		92 
D. Hussey c Kallis b Ntini 		31 
C. White c Afridi b Muralitharan 		22 
R. Quiney run out (Kallis) 		3 
J. Moss c Ntini b Kallis 			10 
A. Crosthwaite c Vettori b Akhtar 		18 
T. Welsford c Ntini b Kallis 		12 
G. Lindsay not out 			4 
S. Harwood not out 			0 

Extras: (lb-6, w-2, nb-2) 		10 

TOTAL (for 9 wickets in 50 overs) 269 

FALL OF WICKETS: 8, 98, 169, 195, 213, 222, 249, 260 
BOWLING: S. Akhtar 10-2-2-28 S. Pollock 8-0-44-0, 
M. Ntini 7-0-44-1, J. Kallis 6-0-34-2 M. Muralitharan 10-0-54-2, 
D. Vettori 7-0-44-1