Cricket Web XI
S Young
PE Young
AJ Blackman
CR Butler
WA Kerr
AP Chaulk (wk)
MW Wilson
DP Richards
DM Kennett
GM Thomas
TJ Demeza
Cricket Web XI vs Sri Lankan Board XI
3-day Tour Match - Galle International Stadium
Despite the heroircs of Ash Chaulk, Cricket Web XI slumped to embarrassing defeat in their lone tour fixture before the first Test against Sri Lanka. Chaulk hit a breezy 65 off 85 balls on the final day, but could not prevent defeat by 54 runs. CW XI were in control of most of the match, until a late second innings revival by Sri Lankan Board XI helped post a target of 281 which was too much for the jetlagged tourists.
The first day was one of mixed fortunes for the Webbers. The bowling of David Kennett, recalled to Test duty, was the highlight as he slipped back into the fine form that he expressed on his last tour of Sri Lanka. His opening spell tested the openers and ultimately accounted for both. Greg Thomas added a third wicket and the home team was reeling at 58-3. A middle order revival came from the usual suspects, Tillekeratne Dilshan (41) and Angelo Mathews (74), but the former was removed by Demeza, and Chamara Silva went without scoring. Another brief recovery helped push the score toward 200, but Kennett and left-arm spinner Dave Richards wrapped the tail in relatively quick time to finish the innings on 205.
CW XI were left with half the day to bat and shot out of the blocks via two well-timed offdrives by Stephen Young (10). The uncapped opener then fell before the first over was through, unable to cope with the pace of Dammika Prasad. There was panic, however, and Pete Young (36) combined with an aggressive Alex Blackman (46) to keep the tourists on top. Dilshan utilized his offspin to good effect to dismiss both before stumps, then Chris Butler and Will Kerr added an unbeaten 47 to carry the score to 149-3 at stumps.
Again CW XI started well on the second morning and looked set for a big total as they closed in on the 200 mark. But 11 short, Butler got a thin edge down the legside and was out for 44. Kerr too fell short of his milestone, bowled by Amerasinghe for a composed 49. The seamer continued to impress with the wicket of Chaulk for 13, and Richards (6) was out shortly before lunch to end an excellent session for the Sri Lankans. Mike Wilson played in his typically rambunctious style to consolidate the CW XI lead to 56 and the score to 261.
The bowlers then continued a confident display by nipping out two Board XI wickets before tea. Again much of the responsibility fell on Dilshan, the skipper, and he responded with some daring strokeplay in an innings of 37. But just as he looked to be into stride, having hit Thomas for a straight six, he picked out the fielder in the gully with a loose cut shot. Thomas had that last laugh with his only wicket of the second innings. It was Wilson who proved more potent with the ball, however. His two quick wickets crucially numbered Gunawardene (56) and the dangerous Mathews (32). There was no killer instinct from the Webbers, however, and instead the Board XI recovered their position once again.
Chamara Silva and Kashual Silva played with remarkable ease throughout their partnership of 120. By the time Kennett got the former for 52, the lead was well past 200. It was another impressive display by Kennett on the third morning that kept CW XI in the match. His spell turned out 4 wickets in total, including two in two balls. His hat-trick was not to be, however, as Amerasinghe pushed a yorker away for a quick single. Kashual Silva tried to up the pace with more attacking strokeplay and was in turn twice dropped whilst pushing on to an unbeaten 83. The Board XI were all out for 336 and left CW XI the better part of the day to chase 281.
Stephen Young started pleasantly again but again perished to Prasad, nicking a length ball outside offstump for 21. After lunch Pete Young (11) joined him in the pavilion for not much, and after a brief revival, Blackman and Butler followed. The middle order struggled to combat the Sri Lankan seamers on a pitch that showed little sign of wear. Next out was Kerr (10), though he experienced some misfortune, given out caught behind when he missed the ball by two inches. The Webbers were then in shambles, on 112-5 and staring at a heavy defeat. The only reasonable tactic seemed counterattack, and Chaulk obliged, batting out of his crease and playing some one-day style shots. He reached 50 off 46 balls and seemed to give license to Wilson to play in similar fashion.
The allrounder reached his fifty from a ball less than Chaulk and with a lofted shot to the cover boundary. While the pair batted it seemed that CW XI would steal a result that they surely did not deserve. Kulasekera then served what seemed like justice, as he dismissed Wilson for 51. Richards kept things ticking along for a bit with 18, then he too was out, failing to commit to a pull shot and caught-and-bowled by Prasad. The killer blow came an over later- Chaulk caught behind for 65. Resistance was never likely from the remaining two wickets, and Kulasekera rounded off a 4-wicket haul with some ease.
CW XI now have a lot of work to do in the build up to the first Test. The inevitable return of Cloete and Mørk to the lineup will add a lot of strength, but there are still concerns about a team still uncertain of its best XI.
Sri Lanka Board XI 1st Innings 205 all out
Mathews 74, Dilshan 41, Kennett 4-49, Demeza 2-45
Cricket Web XI 1st Innings 261 all out
Kerr 49, Blackman 46, Prasad 4-63, Amerasinghe 3-29
Sri Lanka Board XI 2nd Innings 336 all out
Silva J.K. 83*, Gunawardene 56, Kennett 5-72, Wilson 2-39
Cricket Web XI 2nd Innings 226 all out
Chaulk 65, Wilson 51, Kulasekera 4-43, Fernando 2-32
Sri Lanka Board XI won by 54 runs.