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*Official* Australia in CWLand

Mr Mxyzptlk

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Golden-arm Clarke goes close
1st Test - Day 5 - 3rd Session - Fardin Qayyumi CC

Ricky Ponting tossed the ball to Michael Clarke for the final over of the game, and it proved a masterstroke. The left-arm spinner took 2 wickets, including that of Håkon Mørk, but Australia finished 3 wickets short of a dramatic win. Instead Cricket Web XI got to the end of the game with 266-7 on the board. Most notably Mørk wrote his name into the history books with a second ton of the game and wrap up a very much deserved Man of the Match award.

Clarke ended the session on an exciting note, and he and his namesake started it in similar fashion. Pete Young failed to add to his lunchtime score of 28 before he was trapped lbw by Stuart Clark. And Cloete added a single to the score when he suffered a similar fate to a Michael Clarke arm ball. The pressure was suddenly on and again Chris Butler looked shaky to start. Ponting called upon Lee to capitalize on the situation and he produced a lovely delivery that Butler nicked through to Hayden at slip. He passed Will Kerr on his way to the pavilion, his Colts teammate, and they shared a quick word. Kerr's brief first innings was obviously still fresh in mind, and he wrapped a miserable debut, on his knees 2 balls after his arrival. A furious yorker from Lee knocked him off balance and left him in despair on the ground, and bowled without scoring.

Just under an hour remained in the match and much relied on the efforts of Mørk with the lower order exposed. What happened next was most shocking of all. The usually brilliant Symonds dropped the simplest of chances after Mørk miscued a cut shot to him at backward point. Mørk could not believe his luck, and progressed with ease to his ton. His sixth wicket stand with Mike Wilson crossed the half-century mark and settled on 57 at the start of the final over. All that remained was that formality, which Ponting entrusted to his deputy. Perhaps he should have made the move sooner. Two wickets were not enough for Australia.

Australia 1st Innings 605 all out (149.4 overs)
RT Ponting 127, A Symonds 119, B Haddin 76, SM Katich 72, MEK Hussey 54
GM Thomas 4-155, NA Borcich 3-99

Cricket Web XI 1st Innings 408 all out (153.2 overs)
H Mørk 160, AP Cloete 83, PE Young 21
MJ Clarke 3-42, SR Clark 2-69

Australia 2nd Innings 191-2 dec. (43 overs)
ML Hayden 93*, SM Katich 57, RT Ponting 31
MW Wilson 1-25

Cricket Web XI 2nd Innings 266-7 (83 overs)
H Mørk 101, T Mamesh 74, MW Wilson 31*
MJ Clarke 3-31, B Lee 2-78

Scorecard
Ball by Ball

Match Drawn.
Man of the Match: H Mørk (CW XI)
 

Neil Pickup

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Thank you Hakkie. Well played batting order to get through there with pride intact - that would possibly be the first time I have performed as a batting all-rounder...
 

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Mork is a gun. Can score 0 runs for Red (please) for all I care, as long as he keeps on making big test runs (Y)
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

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Fast bowlers upset Australia
2nd Test - Day 1 - CW Oval

Conditions were terrific for batting when the coin landed Heads to allow Australia first strike. And as Matthew Hayden leaned into the bowling of Thomas to dispatch three fours through the covers, the signs seemed very much ominous for Cricket Web XI. But Travis Demeza soon cast off his troubles of the previous match and nipped out his first wicket of the series- Simon Katich smartly caught at second slip for 0. That wicket was sufficient motivation for an enterprising morning of bowling by the Webbers. Hayden stepped down the pitch and clubbed Thomas back overhead for six, then two balls later offered a thick edge through to an agile Mørk behind the stumps.


Haddin on the go (AP Photo)

Arguably the biggest fish then was Ricky Ponting. The Australian captain shuffled across his stumps and played at a delivery outside the offstump and was caught behind for 13, leaving his team on 45-3. Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke set about to rebuild and survived a couple of chances in doing so. The former was the luckier, dropped by Young at gully on 36. And Thomas had an easy opportunity to run out the left-hander, but he fumbled the ball at short fine leg. The partnership pressed on to lunch and they had added 82 by the time Hussey's luck ran out. He was adjudged lbw for 49, though an inside edge should have denied CW XI the wicket.

Andrew Symonds arrived, hit a four, then attempted an expansive drive and dragged the ball back onto his offstump. And Thomas got in on the act to solidify a position of increasing strength for the Webbers. He bowled Clarke for 47 and then dismissed Ashley Noffke for a first-ball duck on debut. Australia were reduced to 154-7 and Brad Haddin was left with the job of playng with the tail. He did so with skill and courage until he was last out for 68. By then Australia had climbed to 266 and there was a sense that CW XI had failed to push home their advantage. Still, there was the better part of a session left for the home side to build back into a strong position. And through a quickfire half-century from Thamba Mamesh, they managed to do so. Håkon Mørk, in front of his home crowd, failed to recapture his first Test form and was instead caught behind for a tame 9. Pete Young looked in reasonable touch in support of Mamesh, finishing the day unbeaten on 20. Mamesh was rampant and slashed Noffke past point for a boundary to reach 53 from 52 balls. Just two balls later he looked to turn a delivery to leg and instead was caught smartly by Haddin. In the 5 remaining overs Andrew Cloete still had time to hit a couple of authoritative back foot shots and CW XI finished the day at 109-2.

Australia 1st Innings 266 all out (64 overs)
BJ Haddin 68, MEK Hussey 49, MJ Clarke 47
TJ Demeza 4-82, GM Thomas 3-58

Cricket Web XI 1st Innings 109-2 (24 overs)
T Mamesh 53, PE Young 20*, AP Cloete 12*
SR Clark 1-24, AA Noffke 1-30

Cricket Web XI trail by 157 runs with 8 first innings wickets remaining.
 

Magrat Garlick

Rather Mad Witch
Happy enough with the wicketkeeping. The middle order is due some runs.

For the record and tomorrow's squad selection, the eleven was unchanged.
 

Neil Pickup

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Top start boys. Now keep it ticking and let's get ourselves on top. We bat deep now, remember...
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

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Hayden falls late to leave match evenly poised
2nd Test - Day 2 - CW Oval

Cricket Web XI batted well enough for a lead of 62 on first innings, and then Mike Wilson took the wicket of Matthew Hayden late in the day to keep the game balanced. By stumps Australia had advanced their lead to 40 with 9 wickets still intact. Much of their hopes rest on Simon Katich on day three, as he will begin with 39 to his name. Night-watchman Stuart Clark will give him company.

The morning session proved a tight tussle between bat and ball. Both overnight batsmen looked in reasonable nick, but neither got on top of the bowling nor crossed 50. First to go was Pete Young, padding up unwisely to Michael Clarke and lbw for 31. Cloete then followed a delivery from the Australian vice-captain and presented Haddin with a thin edge. Two wickets in the bag, Clarke threatened to unravel the innings with the continuation of his good bowling series. Will Kerr returned to the crease for his third Test innings, having amounted 1 run from his first two, and he was obviously under pressure.


Cloete was caught behind for 49 (AP Photo)

But unlike his debut he looked more positive and clipped his third ball away to midwicket for four, then swept Clarke fine for 3 runs. Butler was much less certain, dropped on 9, but he was there with Kerr at lunch at 204-4. Soon after lunch Butler offered another chance, attempting to play against the spin of McGain. He survived on 17 and put his head down once more. With every stride forward Kerr looked in greater and greater touch and his confidence grew. But it was to come his undoing. He ill-advisedly attempted to take on Lee with a hook shot, and surrendered his wicket for 35. Wilson joined Butler with the game back in the balance and helped push CW XI into the first innings lead with a knock of 30.

A loose shot saw him bowled by Clarke and Nick Borcich was caught at slip for 8 soon after. It was the fourth wicket for the left-arm spinner, and Butler had only the tail for company. By then he was seeing the ball much better and took his opportunity and responsibility seriously. With a firm push down the ground he reached his half-century, and then hit a couple more boundaries on his way to 69. And on that score he experienced a moment of madness and accounted for his downfall with a poor call, run out by Symonds. Lee wrapped up the innings with his third wicket and limited the Australian deficit to 62. The game was clearly still on, so the openers motored along with typical aggression. They never took any great risks, but managed to score in excess of 5 per over through a partnership of 78. Hayden was undone by a Wilson slower ball on the score and Clark arrived to usher the close with Katich.

Australia 1st Innings 266 all out (64 overs)
BJ Haddin 68, MEK Hussey 49, MJ Clarke 47
TJ Demeza 4-82, GM Thomas 3-58

Cricket Web XI 1st Innings 328 all out (90.4 overs)
CR Butler 69, T Mamesh 53, AP Cloete 49
MJ Clarke 4-60, B Lee 3-93

Australia 2nd Innings 102-1 (21 overs)
ML Hayden 47, SM Katich 39*, SR Clark 6*

Australia lead by 40 runs with 9 second innings wickets remaining.
 

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