Story The Super Duper Series [C2005]

[tassietiger]

To raise money for the PWNMF (People Who Need Money Foundation), a series has been organised between the World Test XI and the World ODI XI. Plenty of preparation has gone into this, ranging from setting up stupid memorabillia for the innings breaks, to twisting the arms of political figures to gain permission to clone players such as Brian Lara and Glenn McGrath.

The squads were carefully selected by an anonymous team (EA Sports), and they are as follows:

WORLD TEST XI: Matthew Hayden, Herschelle Gibbs, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Brian Lara ?, Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist, Chaminda Vaas, Shane Warne, Muthiah Muralitharan, Enamul Haque, Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn, Justin Langer, Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff, Stephen Fleming, Sachin Tendulkar

WORLD ONE DAY XI: Adam Gilchrist, Sachin Tendulkar, Chris Gayle, Ricky Ponting ?, Brian Lara, Virender Sehwag, Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, Shaun Pollock, Chaminda Vaas, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Muthiah Muralitharan, Yousuf Youhana, Heath Streak, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chris Cairns, Rahul Dravid.

The Series will comprise of six Ten10 matches, only going the 10 over game because it would be unfair to go with either team?s preferred format.

Leading into the series, there have been odds offered by two leading sports betting organisations, BetFair and BetUnfair.

BetFair:
3-3 Draw - $1.25
4-2 ODI - $2.15
4-2 Test - $2.20
5-1 ODI - $6.50
5-1 Test - $6.75
6-0 ODI - $30
6-0 Test - $30

BetUnFair
3-3 Draw - $1.01
4-2 ODI - $1.01
4-2 Test - $1.01
5-1 ODI - $1.01
5-1 Test - $1.01
6-0 ODI - $1.01
6-0 Test - $1.01

 

[Kev]

LOL looking forward to this one

 

[tassietiger]

Fixtures

The Fixtures have been released, and, due to various airlines? sponsorships in this series, each game has been scheduled in a different country.

Game 1 (controlling ODI team) Lord?s, England
Game 2 (controlling Test team) Faisalabad, Pakistan
Game 3 (controlling ODI team) Barbados, Jamaica
Game 4 (controlling Test team) Kolkata, India
Game 5 (controlling ODI team) Johannesburg, South Africa
Game 6 (controlling Test team) MCG, Australia

So buckle your seat belts (metaphorically), as Game 1 will be starting as soon as possible (if not earlier)

 

[tassietiger]

GAME 1: Lords, England
MATCH CONDITIONS
Day/Night: Day
Pitch: Normal
Weather: Sunny
Heat: Warm

World Test XI
1. Adam Gilchrist
2. Matthew Hayden
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Rahul Dravid
5. Brian Lara
6. Ricky Ponting
7. Jacques Kallis
8. Shane Warne
9. Muthiah Muralitharan
10. Jason Gillespie
11. Glenn McGrath

World ODI XI
1. Adam Gilchrist
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Ricky Ponting
5. Brian Lara
6. Rahul Dravid
7. Jacques Kallis
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Muthiah Muralitharan
10. Jason Gillespie
11. Glenn McGrath

1st Over bowled by Shaun Pollock
First ball to Gilchrist with one of the most convincing shots you will ever see. Yes, you guessed it, a back foot lofted on drive. But the very next ball Pollock got his revenge, bowling a dot ball. It only got better for Pollock, as he claimed the prized scalp of Gilchrist the next ball, holed out to Gillespie at deep cover. Sachin Tendulkar then came to the crease. He looked as if he was ready to tear the game apart. Pollock effectively went for 11 runs off 1 ball, as Sachin hit him for a six off a no-ball, but, luckily for Pollock, his foot wasn?t over the line the next ball as Tendulkar followed Gilchrist?s lead and also holed out to Gillespie at deep cover. Rahul Dravid then came to the crease, and, determined to up his average strike rate, smacked a dot ball.
- TEST XI 2/15 Dravid 0 Hayden 0

2nd Over bowled by Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath was looking for revenge after being told that Pollock would bowl the first over of the match. Unfortunately he didn?t get any. Other than a massive Rahul Dravid six down the ground, it was a relatively unexciting but economical over, seven runs coming from it.
- TEST XI 2/22 Dravid 6 Hayden 1

3rd Over bowled by Shaun Pollock
Pollock, in the last over of his spell, wanted to make a big impact on the match. Hayden followed the trend of hitting it to Gillespie at deep cover, but on this occasion Jason chose to spill the catch. Pollock was strangely not too angered by the drop. Maybe he had extra-sensory perception that told him that the next ball would claim the wicket of Rahul Dravid, who flicked the ball off his pads to the alert Jacques Kallis. Pollock was pleased with his demolition of the top order, and was ready to get into the non-designated hitters. He made the most of it too, picking up the wicket of middle-order bunny Brian Lara, who played that contagious lofted cover drive to Gillespie, who made sure of the catch this time. Out came another bunny, Ricky Ponting, who quickly turned the strike over with a single on the hattrick ball. Matthew Hayden rounded off the over by making Pollock look slightly more human, smacking him for six straight down the ground.
- TEST XI 4/31 Ponting 1 Hayden 9
- Shaun Pollock 2-0-24-4

Screenshots:
1) Dravid and Hayden celebrate a massive partnership
2) Dravid showing off his golf skills
3) Desperate times call for desperate measures: ODI XI do a raindance, seeing a washout as their best chance

 

[Briggsey]

LOL!! this is going to be fun

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Funny story...

 

[tassietiger]

4th Over bowled by Muthiah Muralitharan
Captain Ricky Ponting was clearly keen to get the overs of spin out of the way, and decided to bring it in at the 4th over. When Muralitharan bowled the first ball, Hayden played a dangerous shot that he probably won?t try again in this match. Probably because he got out off it. Hayden?s slog sweep gave Jason Gillespie his fourth catch for the match. Jacques Kallis came in and played defensively for four balls, and Muthiah looked headed for an unprecedented wicket-maiden. Unfortunately he choked and bowled a no-ball off the sixth ball, and was hit for four.
- TEST XI 5/36 Ponting 1 Kallis 4

5th Over bowled by Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis was brought into the attack to replace Shaun Pollock, who bowled out his maximum 2 overs. When in his action, Kallis looked beside himself. Literally, he was also at the non-strikers end while bowling. Other than a big ?wooshka? and a big ?four?, Kallis? over to Ponting was relatively dull and economical, going for only four runs.
- TEST XI 5/40 Ponting 5 Kallis 4

6th Over bowled by Muthiah Muralitharan
Another economically-brilliant over from Muthiah, ruined by a Gillespie dropped catch off Kallis, and the slight technicality that he was hit for four.
- TEST XI 5/45 Ponting 9 Kallis 5
- Muthiah Muralitharan 2-0-10-1

7th Over bowled by Jason Gillespie
First ball from Gillespie?s over, Kallis flicks the ball to Pollock who claims the catch. But as Pollock is a dirty rotten cheat and would claim a gold rush in an elevator, it wasn?t out. Kallis proceeded to hit two sixes off the Gillespie over, and lift the run rate a fair bit.
- TEST XI 5/57 Ponting 9 Kallis 17

Screenshots:
1) One solution to spelling Muthiah's surname
2) I'll leave it up to you to guess why he dropped this catch
3) Pollock's 'catch'

 

[Briggsey]

When in his action, Kallis looked beside himself. Literally, he was also at the non-strikers end while bowling.

!!!!!!

 

[tassietiger]

8th Over bowled by Jacques Kallis
Before Kallis bowled, he had a quick chat to captain Ricky Ponting on how they could get themselves out. Whatever they decided, it didn?t work too well, with Ponting and Kallis hitting Kallis everywhere. The last ball of the over, however made up for it all, with Kallis brilliantly getting himself out.
- TEST XI 6/72 Ponting 17 Warne 0
- Jacques Kallis 2-0-19-1

9th Over bowled by Jason Gillespie
First ball he bowled he was smacked for six by Ricky Ponting. Gillespie had run out of options, as he had run out of ideas to get that elusive dot ball. Then he came up with the idea of getting a wicket. So Ponting was then dismissed, caught by Muralitharan in the position that Gillespie originally held. Then came out to bat the catcher of Ponting himself, Murali. He came out intending to bat out the 1.4 overs remaining. He didn?t. Murali trudged off with only a golden duck. Gillespie was faced with a hattrick opportunity, and who better to bowl it to than, well, himself. And on the hattrick ball Gillespie was just too good, unfortunately the good one was the batting Gillespie, who blocked it out with relative ease, as he did to the rest of the over.
- TEST XI 8/78 Gillespie 0 Warne 0
- Jason Gillespie 2-0-18-2

10th Over bowled by Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath used this last over to show to the world who the world?s most dangerous ODI bowler was. It was Pollock. But he still did finish off the tail, thanks to massive spoons from Gillespie and himself. Test XI were all out for 81
- TEST XI 81ao (Kallis 24, Ponting 23)
- Glenn McGrath 2-0-10-2

Screenshots
1) Gillespie takes yet another catch on the boundary
2) ODI Ricky Ponting's decision to bribe the umpires backfires when the umpire attempts to give two wickets at once
3) If Gillespie had not have gone for a toilet stop while this ball was in the air it may have hit him on the head.

 

[tassietiger]

END OF INNINGS 1: TEST XI 81 ao

Well, the innings had everything (except for the last ball). One good partnership, 9 crap ones, and some very good bowling (in all modesty). You would imagine the Test XI will approach this in an attacking way, as their bowlers should be the most attacking in the world as that suits their game more. The ODI XI, also, would be the fastest-scoring in the world...so expect to see them bowled out in 2 overs or getting the runs off 3 overs. Should be an exciting innings, as this is already the highest scoring match in international Ten10 history.

 

[tassietiger]

1st Over bowled by Glenn McGrath
Adam Gilchrist batted slowly for his standards, exhibiting a rare block with his first ball. The next ball, however, was slightly more normal for him, a big six down the ground. The next ball was even more signature Gilchrist, a stupid spooned shot that should have been caught. Luckily it was not caught and two runs were given away. Several sixes later, the over ended.
- ODI XI 0/22 Gilchrist 22 Sehwag 0

2nd Over bowled by Jason Gillespie
The first four balls were like a boxing match. In the end Gillespie hit Sehwag on the pads for LBW, before that Sehwag had hit Gillespie for six, and before that Gillespie had hit Sehwag for enjoyment. Tendulkar strolled to the crease and smacked a regulation six down the ground. One Day XI looking to be well ahead now.
- ODI XI 1/32 Gilchrist 22 Tendulkar 6

3th Over bowled by Glenn McGrath
Anyone who hadn?t seen the rest of the game would see this over as rather boring. In the context of the game though, it was also rather boring. A couple of lucky fours and a single made the over a rather dull one
- ODI XI 1/41 Gilchrist 22 Tendulkar 6
- Glenn McGrath 2-0-31-0

Screenshots:
1) Gilchrist playing one of his more defensive shots, which resulted in a six.
2) Gillespie, Sehwag and Gilchrist play a quick game of tunnelball as Tendulkar umpires from a distance.
3) Sehwag's dismissal.

 

[langerrox]

lol ur a legend mate

 

[tassietiger]

4th Over bowled by Jason Gillespie
As usual a couple of boundaries were hit, but then Gillespie tightened it right up. This obviously frustrated Gilchrist enough to throw his wicket away. He left the ball when it was perhaps a tiny bit too straight.
- ODI XI 2/53 Tendulkar 15 Ponting 0

5th Over bowled by Shane Warne
Yet another Australian took his hat off to have a trundle with the ball, this time the leg-spinning Shane Warne, and his ?ovr woz gr8?. One run came off the over, the first time an over had been bowled without a single boundary.
- ODI XI 2/54 Tendulkar 16 Ponting 0

6th Over bowled by Muthiah Muralitharan
The 6th over saw the introduction of the Sri Lankan spin bowler who possesses a right arm about as straight as Ian Thorpe?s sexuality. Murali had a similar effect as Warne, very hard to extract runs from. Tendulkar was creative, by hitting it straight to the keeper and running the leg bye. Ponting was also creative, realising he couldn?t be caught if he hit it over the boundary, and scored six runs out of it. The next ball he tried to do the same thing, but unfortunately forgot the boundary thing, and was caught out for an unbelievably slow 6. The ODI XI were in crisis mode, with this mini-collapse meaning they would need something along the lines of the best two batsmen in the world. Unfortunately they didn?t have them, so they had to make do with Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.
- ODI XI 3/61 Tendulkar 16 Lara 0

Screenshots:
1) This incredibly close decision forced the ever-sportsmanlike Adam Gilchrist to walk. The umpire, on this occasion, decided to call him back, partly due to his foot being behind the line, and also because he was the wicketkeeper.
2) Gilchrist's luck didn't last too long, he padded away this ball when it was probably a little too straight.
3) Tendulkar's innovative signature shot where he picks out the keeper. On this occasion the keeper decided that he would hone in his dodgeball skills, and the little master got away with it.

Directors Note: Due to the high demand for the exciting last four overs of this match, there may be trouble in loading this page in the next 30-60 minutes.

 

[tassietiger]

7th Over bowled by Shane Warne
Warney came back on and bowled another ripper of an over, cleaning up Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid. Admittedly it was against a couple of average players of spin, but he?ll still take the stats. Tendulkar is still the only batsman showing any resistance, and unless he can get a bit more of the strike, this match could be more exciting than it first looked
- ODI XI 5/64 Tendulkar 18 Kallis 0

8th Over bowled by Muthiah Muralitharan
Murali definitely knows when to bring out his double-wicket maidens. Claiming the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar and Shaun Pollock was very valuable to the side, and it left the ODI team needing 18 off 12 balls to win
- ODI XI 7/86 Kallis 0 Muralitharan 0

9th Over bowled by Jacques Kallis
After yet again having to bowl to himself, Jacques Kallis played himself away with ease to score a single. Quite a stupid move given that Murali was at the other end. He naturally got clean bowled, and Gillespie faced out the over scoring one run from a wide. ODI XI need 16 runs from the last over.
- ODI XI 7/88 Kallis 1 Gillespie 0

10th Over bowled by Sachin Tendulkar
9.1 Tendulkar to Kallis ? SIX: Lofted on drive put Kallis on seven times his original score. 10 needed off 5 balls.
9.2 Tendulkar to Kallis ? SIX: I would?ve sworn it was a replay. It was. But the next ball after I watched the replay was also a six from a lofted on drive. Big series of coincidences there. 4 needed off 4 balls.
9.3 Tendulkar to Kallis ? SIX: That completes the hattrick, another lofted on drive into the stands, and it wins the match for the ODI team.
Brilliant knock from Kallis, three successive sixes making the sport of cricket look easy. That is a victory for the World One Day XI, and a thoroughly undeserved one at that.

Screenshots:
1) The fielding team is helpless as Kallis smashes the last of his three sixes.
2) Gillespie celebrates the victory, and so he should, his 0 from 4 balls proved vital.
3) Kallis' slightly lopsided spider diagram.

 

[tassietiger]

After that, I feel like doing something. Something being going to bed. Let's just put up the scoreboard so I can fulfill my dream.