Second Test: Cricket Web XI vs West Indies
at Pickford Reserve
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Once again, one partnership was enough to win the game for Cricket Web XI, but this time it was helped by a largely polished bowling performance. Debutant Trav Demeza took nine wickets, tormenting the top order despite leaking runs, while Håkon Mørk and Pete Young added 290 off weary bowling after West Indies had been skittled for 139.
Incredible scenes unfolded after West Indies opted to bat first against the debutant. It was a decision that could easily be defended; West Indies needed to put pressure on early and scare the batsmen, it was an excellent day, and the pitch looked good. Yet, after five overs of Demeza - a record spell - Gayle, Morton, Ganga, Chanderpaul and Samuels had all walked back for sub-15 scores, Bravo and Ramdin were left to salvage the innings, but the score read 45 for five.
Ramdin continued to ride his luck. Easy shells on 0 and 1 gave him a shout for a good score, and he held out till the stroke of lunch, when Demeza returned, speared a ball up, and the edge ballooned to Kennett for a simple catch running in from fine leg. With Bravo having given a return catch to Pickup, it was 102 for seven at lunch.
Essentially, the match had already been lost. Taylor blazed 28 runs off his first 14 balls, before getting beaten twice by Halsey; he then had Collymore caught and Lawson lbw, ending with two wickets off his only over.
It took merely six minutes for another wicket to fall, as Mamesh dragged Taylor to third slip. Taylor and Lawson were fired up by the early breakthrough, and offered to go the extra yard in pace; accuracy suffered and Mørk feasted. Taylor's fourth over was taken for twenty, with one six and three fours, and he brought up the fifty shortly after tea off just 57 balls. Young followed half an hour later, having survived a testing spell and loud appeal from Lawson, and by five o'clock the West Indies total had been overhauled.
The partnership was finally broken in the 80th over, just after Young had reached 150. Mørk perished to the new ball after lunch, and the tides slowly began to turn, as Lawson generated good pace and swing to also take the wicket of Dauth lbw, and Cloete dragged on a widish one from Taylor. In Taylor's next over, Butler flicked past short leg and Samuels couldn't hold on; a tricky, but not impossible catch, and Butler and Wilson added 97 to put the game totally beyond the West Indies. With Halsey also providing a useful unbeaten 22, the Webheads had scored more than three times as many runs as the West Indies, who needed 328 just to avoid the innings defeat.
Once again Demeza struck early, pace and bounce taking care of Gayle, and Morton and Ganga went on the defensive. The last hour was intriguing, though the seamers lacked the extra yard to threaten the batsmen if they made any stupid errors. Even Pickup's only over before close couldn't take a wicket, and West Indies closed with some hope at 59 for one.
Demeza began the third day as he had the first; fast and up at them. Ganga made a critical mistake and paid for it, fending to Young, before rain and bad light began to dominate. Only 25 overs of play were possible, in which time Chanderpaul had seen off 72 deliveries, and despite Pickup's catch on nine West Indies held some hope at 131 for four.
The Webheads were sluggish on the fourth morning, with spinners not putting enough turn on the ball to threaten Chanderpaul, and Bravo cutting loose. Halsey bowled unchanged for over 90 minutes, and Pickup was eventually rewarded for his faith, a quicker one fended behind to Mørk. That gave the signal; Chanderpaul needed to attack, struck Demeza for four the next over, and then, attempting the same stroke, cut behind. Mohammed and Taylor lasted four balls into the next over, and despite Ramdin's rearguard there was little to be done; the Webheads secured an easy victory and a dominant series win.
West Indies 139 all out (31 overs)
DJ Bravo 36; TJ Demeza 5-59, TC Halsey 2-1
Cricket Web XI 466 all out (123 overs)
PE Young 150, H Mørk 139; J Taylor 3-121
West Indies 218 all out (76.3 overs)
S Chanderpaul 50; TJ Demeza 4-78
Cricket Web XI won by an innings and 109 runs
Man of the Match: TJ Demeza (Cricket Web XI)