World XI wins warm up match

MELBOURNE—India’s Rahul Dravid top-scored with 66 runs as the World XI scored 281-8 in a warm-up match against Victoria.
Victoria pace man Shane Harwood took 4-37, including the wickets of Brian Lara for nine and England’s Kevin Pietersen for five.
The World XI had got off to a torrid start when they slumped to 107-5 but Dravid and Captain Shaun Pollock (54) ensured a competitive total. The teams had agreed that the World XI would bat first in the match.
This is the World XI’s only match ahead of the three-game Super Series against world champions Australia that begins on Wednesday in Melbourne.
The capacity crowd at the Junction Oval in St Kilda was disappointed when Lara was caught at square leg by Michael Klinger and then Pietersen went after he skied a shot to wicket-keeper Adam Crosswhite.
Each team can play 12 players, 11 batsmen and 11 fielders. Victoria: Cameron White (capt), Adam Crosthwaite, Gerard Denton, Shane Harwood, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Nick Jewell, Michael Klinger, Michael Lewis, Jonathan Moss, Rob Quiney, Tim Welsford.
World: S Pollock (capt), B Lara, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, R Dravid, C Gayle, J Kallis, M Muralitharan, M Ntini, K Pietersen, K Sangakkara (wkt), V Sehwag. Rahul Dravid led the way with a superb 66 and Shaun Pollock, given the honour of captaining the side, chipped in with a terrific 38-ball 54 as the World XI held off a determined challenge from Victoria to post a narrow 12-run victory in a warm-up match at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.
Brad Hodge top-scored with 92, and Michael Klinger chipped in with 62 as Victoria made a bright start in pursuit of 282 for victory. But with the exception of David Hussey, who made 32, none of the other batsmen could make a decisive contribution as the chase floundered. Muttiah Muralitharan ended Hodge’s marvellous innings on his way to figures of 2 for 54, and there were two wickets apiece for Shoaib Akhtar - the pick of the bowlers, in a fiery spell of 2 for 29 - and Jacques Kallis as the World Xi staved off embarrassment. That had certainly been on the cards when Cameron White, seen by many as Shane Warne’s legspin successor for Australia, bowled Shahid Afridi to end an 18-run cameo, leaving the World XI reeling at 131 for 6. But Dravid added 64 with Chris Gayle and 53 with Pollock as the Victorian bowling was taken apart in the final overs.
There was no hint of the drama to come as Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara added 63 for the first wicket. But a probing spell from Shane Harwood changed the complexion of the game, with Brian Lara caught flicking one to square leg and Kevin Pietersen, caught behind going for a big one, both falling cheaply.
Dravid and Gayle started the riposte, taking the total into the realms of respectability before Rudi Koertzen gave Gayle out stumped off the bowling of White.
Fortunately for the world’s finest, Pollock provided a devastating sting in the tail. After that, it was the bowlers who proved their mettle, despite Hodge’s announcement of intent to the Australian selectors.—Agencies