Third ODI: Cricket Web XI vs India
at Fardin Qayyumi CC
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
There were no doubts about the Man of the Match honours after Cricket Web XI had triumphed by 112 runs and sealed a comprehensive ODI series win. Chris Butler was superlative in his assault of the India bowlers, with the spinners coming in for particular stick during his sixteen-boundary masterclass. The bowlers had a thankful job against a side chasing enormous amounts, and mopped up rather easily.
It had started well for India. After winning the toss, they chose to bowl, and Stedman fell as early as the fifth over. The next Black on the team sheet, Cloete, began by missing one that went close to his stumps, was bowled by a no-ball, and then two balls later set off for a single and was stranded. 29 for two, and Butler was left to save the day.
That he did. Zaheer and Sreesanth were smashed out of the attack by Butler's straight incisions, and apart from a maiden from Pathan to Butler, the latter kept the rate up extremely well. By the time the spin came on, in the 24th over, Butler was both settled and in the zone, and quite ready to begin true domination.
Habrhajan ended with 4-0-29-0, after Butler had taken three fours in an over, before Dhoni backtracked and sent on Sehwag. No luck; Chaulk deposited his first ball in the crowd at mid on, Butler pulled a couple of shortish ones through midwicket in his second over. Tendulkar couldn't stop the rot either, and in frustration bowled one down the leg side - Butler shuffled across, got a tiny touch off the pad, and it evaded Dhoni and went down for four leg byes.
At this stage he had brought up the 91-ball ton. In the next 27 balls, he added another 39, before giving a rather feeble return catch to Pathan; the damage had been done, however. At the other ended, Chaulk had missed a lot more, yet stood with a quality 86 to his name; he added a further thirteen before Dhoni dived across to deny him of the hundred, and Cricket Web XI scrambled to 296 for six.
Clouds and swing were on offer, despite the Indian seamers' use of the ball in the first innings. And as such, Virender Sehwag struggled. He took 29 balls to reach double figures - Gambhir, coming in after Ganguly's injudicious stroke, had at least reached 24, but both new ball bowlers, Gough and Clapham, emerged with credit as they gave over the baton with the total at 45 for one after 13 overs.
Tendulkar's innings was the most entertaining. It included three fours and one six - with 14 runs off one Pickup over - in 11 deliveries, and the last ball of the Pickup over brushed into his off stump. When Sehwag hoiked to Clapham a few overs later, India were ripe for the taking; the remaining 25 overs were a slow digestion, with India crashing to 184 and another morale-crunching defeat.
Cricket Web XI 296 for six (50)
CR Butler 142, AP Chaulk 99; Z Khan 2/47, IK Pathan 2/50
India 184 all out (46.4)
G Gambhir 34; TC Halsey 3/34 (9), NS Pickup 3/40 (10)
Cricket Web XI won by 112 runs
Man of the Match: C. R. Butler (Cricket Web XI)