Australia clinch Super Series with 55-run win
CLIFFORD Landers reporting from Australia
MELBOURNE (Friday) - Australia registered a convincing 55-run victory
against the star studded ICC World XI in the second match to clinch the
inaugural Johnnie Walker Super Series one-day competition to take a 2-0
lead here at the Telstra Dome yesterday.
The magnificent Aussie's proved that they are unwilling to surrender
the title of World Champions by bowling out the strong opponents for 273
in 45.3 overs after their top order batsmen piled up a mammoth 328 for 4
in 50 overs.
Sri Lanka's wicket-keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara and spinner
Muttiah Muralitharan again starred with the bat and ball respectively
for the World XI although Aussie Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist bagged the
man-of-the-match award for his dazzling innings.
The Aussies were provided with another blistering start by openers
Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich after skipper Ricky Ponting won the toss
for the second time in succession and had no hesitation batting first.
Gilchrist was the more aggressive notching up his 12th century in his
222 match career with a hurricane 79-ball 103.
Katich was very comfortable batting in the opening slot again with a
spirited 47 in 71 balls with three fours as Sri Lanka's Muttiah
Muralitharan yet again accounting for his dismissal and depriving him of
his fourth ODI fifty- bowled with the total on 110 in 19.3 overs.
While the Melbourne population experienced rain outside, the 29,371
Telstra Dome crowd witnessed the hail of runs in this crucial game.
Gilchrist followed up his first match 45 with a scintillating innings
of 103 containing eight fours and four mighty sixes - two of which came
off Murali and one each off Daniel Vettori and the Rawalpindi express
Shoaib Akhtar before he missed another huge swing off Sehwag's bowling
with the score on 173 in 28.3 overs and ended his second wicket
partnership of 63 in 9 overs with skipper Ponting. The Aussie 200 came
off 33.3 overs.
The Aussie batting continued to flourish as the World XI bowling
except for Muralitharan was made to look amateurish as Damien Martyn
after a shaky start, gathered momentum quickly and scored a face saving
run-a-ball 54 with five boundaries whilst putting on 103 runs in just 17
overs with his gallant skipper Ponting who was run out for a stroke
filled 66 in 72 balls with four fours.
Martyn followed immediately off the next ball bowled off an under
edge by under-performer Andrew Flintoff to be 276 for 4 in 45.3 overs.
Andrew Symonds (31 not out off 14 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes) and
Michael Clarke (17 not out in 15 balls with one four) continued with the
ball-smashing and brought up the Aussie 300 for 4 in 48.4 overs and
finished with an unbeaten 52-run partnership for the 5th wicket off just
4.7 overs before the innings closed at 328 for 4.
The World XI suffered a severe blow when Kevin Pieterson pulled a
hamstring muscle on his right-leg while charging in from the outfield
trying to cut a single and will undergo a cat scan to examine the extent
of the injury. He later batted with a runner.
Muralitharan was the best of the bowlers finishing with 1 for 43
while the rest succumbed to the Aussie onslaught - again Flintoff was
the most expensive with 1 for 64 from just 8 overs.
World XI was given a rapid start by Virender Sehwag and promoted
opener West Indian Chris Gayle who put on 27 off just 24 balls before a
Brett Lee snorter took Sehwag by surprise and top edged a catch to
Ponting at point for 21 in 15 balls with four fours.
The inform Sangakkara joined in the run feast while Gayle delivered a
calypso innings at the other end with an entertaining 54 from just 48
balls with eight fours and one six over cover off Lee.
His innings was disrupted by first-game man-of-the-match Shane Watson
whose outswinger took a thin edge to wicket-keeper Gilchrist as he
attempted to thrash it through cover after the pair had put on 98 runs
off 72 balls.
Glen McGrath's absence - rested due to tightness in legs after first
game- was also felt as the Aussie bowling was flayed around the grounds
especially, when the pair whacked 21 runs off Lee's 5th over and
Debutant Stuart Clark's first two overs.
Clark who became Aussie's 153rd ODI player was treated with scant
respect as Gayle and Sangakkara whipped him for 19 off his first 12
balls but came back to bag his first ODI wicket that of injured Kevin
Pieterson caught at long-on by Watson for 16 and finished with figures
of 2 for 55 from 9 overs.
Sangakkara was again the batting backbone for the World XI as his
gap- picking, timing, footwork and all that was required of him was
close to perfection.
His applauding and words of encouragement to his partners was also
praiseworthy but after belting a six off Andrew Symonds he was caught
stranded in the middle- run out for a splendid 61 off 44 balls with nine
fours and one six.
He destroyed his side's chances of squaring the series 1-all but had
to be content with his 24th career half-century. 151 for 3 in 20 overs.
Two wickets off two balls that of Lara (4) caught at cover off
Symonds and Kallis (11) run out brilliantly off a direct hit by the
agile Ponting- derailed the batting.
Rahul Dravid and Flintoff (40 in 48 balls with three fours) salvaged
the innings adding 63 runs for the sixth wicket before Flintoff misqued
an on-side stroke and was caught at cover by Symonds.
Apart from top scorer Sangakkara, Gayle and Flintoff the World XI
batting failed miserably in both games as the Aussies regained their
form all-round. Left-armer Nathan Bracken was the most successful bowler
with 3 for 43 from 7.3 overs.
Earlier, many were kept guessing and wondering what would come out of
the game when Darrell Hair was seen discussing and performing- prior to
the toss- with his partner Aleem Dar showing the elbow of his right
outstretched arm and performed bowling actions which many thought or
alleged was in reference to Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's or
Shoib Akhtar's respective delivery actions.
But nothing materialized although Murali bowled from Hairs end and
Akhtar from Dar's end.
AUSTRALIA INNINGS
A. Gilchrist b Sehwag 103
S. Katich b Muralitharan 47
R. Ponting run out 66
D. Martyn b Flintoff 54
A. Symonds not out 30
M. Clarke not out 17
Extras (b-1 lb-4 nb-5 w-1) 11
TOTAL (for 4 wickets, 50 overs)328
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-110, 2-173, 3-276, 4-276.
DID NOT BAT: M. Hussey, S. Watson,
B. Lee, N. Bracken, S. Clark.
BOWLING: Akhtar 8-1-60-0 (nb-3 w-1),
Pollock 8-0-49-0, Flintoff 8-0-64-1 (nb-2),
Muralitharan 10-0-43-1, Vettori 10-0-54-0,
Kallis 3-0-33-0, Sehwag 3-0-20-1.
WORLD XI INNINGS
C. Gayle c Gilchrist b Watson 54
V. Sehwag c Ponting b Lee 21
K. Sangakkara run out 61
J. Kallis run out 11
B. Lara c Symonds b Bracken 5
R. Dravid b Symonds 26
A. Flintoff c Symonds b Bracken 42
K. Pietersen c Watson b Clark 16
S. Pollock c White b Clark 15
D. Vettori not out 11
S. Akhtar c Watson b Bracken 2
Extras (nb-3 w-6) 9
TOTAL (all out, 45.3 overs) 273
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-27, 2-125, 3-151, 4-157,
5-157, 6-220, 7-235, 8-250, 9-267, 10-273.
BOWLING: Lee 8-1-47-1 (nb-1 w-2),
Bracken 7.3-0-43-3, Clark 9-0-55-2,
Watson 10-1-56-1 (nb-2 w-1), Symonds 8-0-50-1 (w-2),
White 3-0-22-0 (w-1),
Result: Australia won by 55 runs
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