Cricket Web XI v Bangladesh
at CW Oval
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
A record-breaking effort by the Webheads, who avenged their Test series draw in Bangladesh by racking up 948 runs and reaffirming doubts over Bangladesh' Test status. Meanwhile, Neil Pickup enjoyed somewhat of a dream debut as captain, despite the team coming unspeakably close to a number of legendary Test records.
The first morning grew with ominous clouds around Nixonstown. Taking the advice of the local expert, vice-captain Mørk jnr., the Webheads opted to bowl first - and were duly taken on by Nafees and Omar. The pair added 46 in the first ten overs - but the remaining four days were to become as grim as the morning sky over Nixonstown for the tourists. Mike Wilson was brought on and the game turned as if meeting a
Union Pacific Big Boy. The crash began when a beautiful one-handed catch by Dauth ended Nafees' cameo, and the medium pace of Wilson and Butler pegged away from Rahim. A dismal innings came to an end when Cloete held a catch at second slip, and Bangladesh were at 60 for two.
Then rain intervened. Wilson got a healthy rest after a long spell, and returned to nick Omar, caught at third slip for 33. Kennett then found new energy, reverse swing, and seam movement, and nabbed out Ashraful (lbw for a golden), Tamim (caught Dauth five) and Bashar (lbw for 17) in quick succession. Bangladesh were 87 for six - and had in principle lost the game.
Had Mørk held the fine attempt off Wilson just before tea, the team might have been all out quicker. Instead, Rajin fought back, and it took Pickup and Thomas some 15 overs before Rasel and Shahadat were finally prised away from the crease, leaving Rajin stranded at 31 with the team total at 150.
Then the record attempt began. Mamesh should have been lbw on 20 early on, but pushed onwards, racing to 44 before Mørk brought up the fifty stand with a boundary in the eighth over, his first of the day. A thirty-five ball fifty was a statement of intent - more was to come. Mørk joined in on the fun too, and before stumps the Webheads had cut 140 in 22 overs, leaving themselves with only ten runs before building a first-innings lead.
Mamesh drove his way to the ton two overs into the morning, reaching it in 76 balls for one of the quicker tons in Webhead history. Indeed, it rivalled Gilbert Jessop's legendary efforts in 1902, though the opposition and match situation here reminded more of a clash with Fitzworthingham Girls' Under-Eight than Joe Darling's XI.
Mortaza was the only bowler that managed to get the ball up to 70mph near the stumps. The rewards were there - he snatched Mamesh and Mørk in one fine over, sparking a brief rally in the field and inspiring Shahadat to run for a fine catch off Andrew Cloete - but with Rasel, Rafique, Shahadat and Ashraful providing largely similar, uninteresting bowling on a flattish wicket, there was little hope. Butler smashed Rasel for successive fours, and by lunch the score was 301 for three. In a brief interview during the lunch session, Pickup said he was aiming for the side to state intent after their defeat a few years ago, and would bat for another day and a half if they were allowed to.
So they were. Egged on by a crowd wishing to see boundaries, Peter Young quietly reached fifty after lunch, then cut loose as the partnership flew past 200. The afternoon session saw a lot of bad balls, 145 runs, and the stand had reached 263. Rasel and Mortaza were treated to much the same in the evening, and Butler reached his maiden double hundred in first class cricket with a cheeky sweep off a Rasel line-and-length delivery.
Wisely, Mortaza came on again. Pickup had now set his sight on the first record: the 1957 fourth-wicket stand between Brian May and Colin Cowdrey, worth 411 runs. Young was evidently troubled by Mortaza, however, who nabbed his fourth with a fine in-seamer - and the partnership ended on 386, five overs before stumps.
Undeterred, the new batsman Dauth pushed on easily. He cut and pulled with ferocity, and he and Butler were inseparable before lunch, adding a further 148 to the already massive total. Bangladesh were ground into the ground, but despite Bashar's pleas for mercy - or alternatively groans of pain - from square leg, Dauth pushed on towards hundred with three booming charges off Rafique's bowling. Butler, who had already broken Cloete's Test record, now eradicated Blackman's season-old first class record with a single off Mortaza, before incredibly padding up to a rare stump-hitting offering from Shahadat. Rumours are he was aiming for second slip. Butler was out, for 308, a record that will surely stand until the next Bangladesh Test at least.
The rest was record-chasing. Sri Lanka's total of 952 for six awaited, though Dauth and Wilson both got out before tea. Mortaza wished it otherwise, and armed with an 85mph yorker and helpful clouds, he trapped Kennett and clean bowled Halsey to leave the side with seven to get for the record. Billy Bowden saw the sense of history and declined a plumb lbw appeal by Rafique; however, in the next over Pickup smashed to Tamim at point, ending the innings on a heart-crushing 948 - soul-destroying for members of both elevens.
With the tourists trailing by 800 runs, the crowd poured out of the stadium. This might excuse the slightly lacklustre effort with the new ball, though Kennett had a fine over before lunch to dismiss Omar and Rahim. Bashar stood tall, taking runs whenever the opportunity arose, but called for a single at an inopportune moment and was run out at the non-striker's end. With a lead of 642, the Webheads sensed an eighty-year old record - but they needed the last five wickets for 62 to beat England's and Hutton's Oval efforts in 1938.
Wilson bowled Bangladeshi hearts out after lunch, removing a rampant Tamim through an easy catch for Thomas and Rafique caught by Halsey at third man. However, Mortaza was given a couple of lives, while Rajin at the other end struck out to reduce the chances. Three fours off Halsey ended the dream of a spot in the all-time record books, though Halsey redeemed himself by whipping through Rasel and Shahadat.
The Bangladeshi coach had no comment after the game.
Bangladesh 150 all out
Javed Omar 33, Rajin Saleh 31*; MW Wilson 3-30, DM Kennett 3-59
Cricket Web XI 948 all out
CR Butler 308, PE Young 172, RJ Dauth 157, T Mamesh 106, MW Wilson 74, H Mørk 60; Mashrafe Mortaza 7-240
Bangladesh 239 all out
Habibul Bashar 61; MW Wilson 3-40
Cricket Web XI won by an innings and 559 runs
Man of the Match: C. R. Butler (Cricket Web XI)
