Group A: New Zealand vs India
at Edgbaston
Code:
[b]India New Zealand[/b]
V Sehwag JM How
G Gambhir BB McCullum (wk)
SR Tendulkar JD Ryder
MS Dhoni (wk, c) LPRL Taylor
SK Raina PG Fulton
Yuvraj Singh SB Styris
IK Pathan JDP Oram
P Kumar DL Vettori (c)
Harbhajan Singh JEC Franklin
Z Khan TG Southee
I Sharma KD Mills
New Zealand headed for the quarters after a strong performance against undercooked Indians, who failed miserably in a chase of a modest 146. Six single-digit figures sums up the batting effort of India, while New Zealand lost wickets occasionally but always batted with sufficient care to last out twenty overs.
The opening partnership was key to posting a decent total, and though India's bowlers were disciplined, How and McCullum managed to stick together for 53 runs during the first eleven overs. Zaheer was brought back for a second spell after having How dropped in his first, and was immediately successful, striking twice. However, that only brought about more dashing batsmen, as eleven fours and two sixes were compiled during the entertaining final overs.
Franklin struck in his first over, with Sehwag holing out to Styris, and Gambhir perished in similar fashion as Franklin held a catch at square leg. From 17 for three, India fashioned a brief recovery, but the change bowlers struck to remove Dhoni and Yuvraj, before Oram's nagging line took care of Yuvraj and Praveen. India crashed to 66 for eight and fought the remainder of the game to regain some respect; they failed to bat out even their twenty, as Franklin and Mills eased to victory.
New Zealand 146 for four (20)
How 31, Fulton 27*, Styris 25*, Ryder 24; Zaheer 2/28
India 110 all out (18.1)
Raina 26, Harbhajan 21; Franklin 3/16, Mills 3/24, Oram 2/10
New Zealand won by 36 runs
Man of the Match: K. D. Mills (NZ)
Group C: Cricket Web XI vs West Indies
at The Oval
Code:
[b]Cricket Web XI West Indies[/b]
JE Stedman CH Gayle (c)
AP Chaulk ADS Fletcher
DP Smith RR Sarwan
AP Cloete S Chanderpaul
SE Fuller XM Marshall
CR Butler DJ Bravo
H Mørk (wk) KA Pollard
KR Clapham D Ramdin (wk)
XPA Rose JE Taylor
NS Pickup SJ Benn
KJ Gough (c) DBL Powell
Despite Sean Fuller providing an excellent spell to limit the West Indies to a narrow total, the Oval pitch provided enough demons for an undercooked Cricket Web XI side who wobbled to a 27-run defeat. Economy wasn't entirely the order of the day, as both Kingsley Clapham and Sulieman Benn were expensive, but only Benn grabbed the necessary wickets.
Fuller had outstanding luck with the ball, though indeed, he bowled well enough to deserve it. He had two men out plumb to drag West Indies back from 84 for four - with Pickup having done some of the groundwork, aided by a smart gloveman. Benn and Pollard provided fireworks at the end, though, hitting four boundaries during a rapid partnership of 24 - before Gough snapped two wickets in three balls to end the innings.
Cricket Web started well enough, with Stedman and Chaulk cutting 27 off the target despite a maiden over from Daren Powell. Taylor and Powell bowled decently with the new ball, and the openers chose to take no risks with the fielding restrictions in place.
However, with the fielders back, Cricket Web lost their brains. The two first wickets were run outs, Stedman and Smith both perishing to indecision from Chaulk, and Cloete dabbed a full ball from Kieron Pollard straight back to the bowler. In the next over, Chaulk hoiked Benn to Sarwan, and the Webheads were 37 for four.
This would not have been so bad if any of the batsmen had staying power. Instead, Butler dragged an innocuous wide one back on the stumps, Mørk missed a sweep and was trapped in front, and Fuller, so imperious on home soil in twenty-over internationals, was sawn off by a trigger-happy umpire. With Rose lbw immediately after Fuller, Cricket Web had crashed to 55 for eight - yet the match was not lost, as Gough and Clapham kept together to tug their team within the bounds of victory. They took Benn to task, with the spinner having one for 33 in his three overs. Yet, Gayle chose Benn, not himself, for the eighteenth over, a decision which was vindicated as Gough slogged a short one over the top to Chanderpaul. Pickup then missed a straight one to end the innings and leave Cricket Web with four do-or-die matches in this tournament.
West Indies 124 all out (16.5)
Sarwan 39, Pollard 24*; Fuller 4/8, Gough 3/26, Pickup 2/30
Cricket Web XI 97 all out (18)
Gough 19, Chaulk 18, Stedman 17, Clapham 16*; Pollard 3/16, Benn 3/39
West Indies won by 27 runs
Man of the Match: K. A. Pollard (WI)
