*Official* CW XI in South Africa

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Kearsley returns for 5th Test

Chris Butler is due to be replaced by David Kearsley for the 5th Test against South Africa, as the 12-man squad for the game was released earlier today. Butler failed to reach 50 over the course of 8 innings in the series, boasting a top score of 44 and an average of 17.50. Kearsley has been preferred to the left-hander, making a deserved return to the Test team after some strong performances in the tour matches.

Kearsley has posted scores of 53, 33*, 81, 46, 27 and 14 on tour thus far. In his last Test for the CW XI, he scored his second Test hundred - 120 against Pakistan. The selectors have also included Greg Thomas in the squad, after he was discarded for the second Test. Sources say that Thomas may return for one of the out-of-form duo of Kennett and Watt.

Cricket Web XI 5th Test squad:
BJ Goff (c), NS Pickup (vc), H Moerk (wk), T Mamesh, DA Kearsley, RJ Dauth, MW Wilson, AP Cloete, DM Kennett, GM Thomas, DJ Watt, TC Halsey.

 

[ash chaulk]

congrats kears, better take this chance

 

[NZTailender]

Congrats Kears on the re-call. Hard luck to Buts who is a quality batsman and I know will make a return in the future

BTW, I was dropped for the 4th test, Liam.

 

[kears_falcon_9]

Hopefully i can make an impact. If i dont it could spell the end as younger guys might jump into the reserve batsmans spot. Badluck Buts, i no your a class batsman you will be right back in this team when you hot some form.

GO Webbers.

 

[Robertinho]

Haha, congrats Kears, dare I say that we'll finish this series as we did the previous one?

C'mon CW

 

[chooka_nick]

Carn CW. What an epic series.

 

[Buddhmaster]

Why was Kearsley not in the team anyway, after his 100 against Pakistan?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Why was Kearsley not in the team anyway, after his 100 against Pakistan?

Because Butler had a better Test record and was in better form. And Dauth scored a bigger hundred against Pakistan in the same Test.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

5th Test news

David Kennett has been excluded from the final XI for the 5th Test against Pakistan. Greg Thomas makes his way back into the team at his expense.

South Africa have excluded Andrew Hall in favour of the spin option of Nicky Boje.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Goff silences South Africa in consolation win
5th Test - Cricket Web XI vs South Africa

Brendon Goff blazed to a hundred from 77 balls to steal the spotlight from Håkon Mørk on the fourth day at the Wanderers Stadium. The Cricket Web XI romped to a sensational 9 wicket win, chasing 223 comfortably and taking advantage of a flat wicket and a South African attack lacking the bite of Makhaya Ntini.

Goff's second 50 came from only 26 balls in an innings of true entertainment for the Johannesburg crowd. At the other end Mørk built steadily to score 69 not out on his way to the Man of the Match award.

The wicket-keeper batsman was the star of the first innings of the game. His patient 148 dominated a score of 368 after Graeme Smith inserted the tourists. With Andrew Cloete (88), some 155 runs were added for the 3rd wicket, and the 68 runs between Wilson and Mørk stood as the only other significant partnership of the innings. Bowling with surprising effectiveness and variation, Jacques Kallis was the star bowler for South Africa, taking 5 for 68 to peg back the CW XI.

What was to follow came as a complete surprise to all present. Even the CW players looked stunned in their joy, as they were at their penetrative best in dismantling South Africa for just 105. Gibbs and Kallis had taken the score 66-1, but the advent of Wilson gave way to a tumble of wickets, led proudly by Neil Pickup. He built further on his fantastic haul from the first 4 Tests, and finished with 5 for 24.

Without hesitation, Goff enforced the follow-on and the exciting and unpredictable nature of the match continued its impact into the third innings of the game. The home team's fortunes contrasted as much with that of the first innings as those of the skipper, who redeemed himself from a first innings 2 with a sensational innings of 153. He faced only 148 balls and stroked 22 balls, mixing in a crunching straight six.

AB de Villiers and Ashwell Prince were also on form and both contributed swift and bold innings before perishing to the purposeful Greg Thomas. Shaun Pollock then scored 45 not out batting with the lower order and raised the score to 485 all out to keep the game alive and competitive.

Where the CW XI batsmen had previously failed in the series, they compensated this time. Rather than crumble under the pressure of a tricky chase, they recovered from the early setback of Mamesh's miscued hook stroke to race to victory in less than 50 overs.

Cricket Web XI 1st innings 368 all out
H Mørk 148, AP Cloete 88, MW Wilson 33; JH Kallis 5-68, SM Pollock 3-61
South Africa 1st innings 105 all out
HH Gibbs 47, JH Kallis 25; NS Pickup 5-24, MW Wilson 2-15
South Africa 2nd innings (f/o) 485 all out
GC Smith 153, AB de Villiers/AG Prince 84; TC Halsey 3-70, GM Thomas 3-126
Cricket Web XI 2nd innings 223-1
BJ Goff 128*, H Mørk 69*; A Nel 1-39

Cricket Web XI won by 9 wickets.
Man of the Match: H Mørk

 

[ash chaulk]

***y

 

[Josh]

Great stuff, CW. Good to get a win on the board.

 

[NZTailender]

Out-freaking-standing guys! A very solid win, with some awesome performances.

 

[Simon]

awesome win, good stuff from Goffy and Hak in particular...

 

[chooka_nick]

Well done, Webbers. Always fighting even when Smith ran rampant.
You really pushed South Africa this series fellas, so well done.

 

[mikeW]

Very good way to finish the test series, well done boys.

 

[cbuts]

great stuff boys!

was expecting to be dropped, but am concerend how i can be getting so much first class runs - even on this tour and struggle so much in these tests

 

[Perm]

Congratulations lads, well played.

 

[Robertinho]

Great win guys - 3-2 isn't so bad. We haven't played too badly, just let it get away from us at times.

 

[Dasa]