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Warne and McGill spin the World
Super Sham in disarray
Channaka de Silva reporting from Sydney
Shane Warne and Stuart McGill wreaked havoc among the World’s best batsmen to put Australia in command on an eventful second day of the six-day Super Test against the World XI here at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday.

The two right-arm leg spinners shared seven of the World XI wickets between them for just 62 runs to send the opponents crashing to 190 all out, 155 runs behind the Australians.

Batting for a second time, the home side was 66 for 1 with an overall lead of 221 runs with nine second innings wickets in hand going into the third day.
The match looks headed for an early close with signs of the wicket already assisting the bowlers as a total of 15 wickets fell on the second day for 270 runs.

World record holder Warne began causing the damage with three wickets while his lesser-heralded partner McGill finished it off even better capturing four wickets. They had figures of 3 for 23 and 4 for 39 respectively.
Pacemen Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee started off admirably for the Aussies with two typically deadly early bursts and Lee obtained the first breakthrough when World XI skipper Graeme Smith top edged an attempted hook to provide a skier which wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist accepted running back with the total on 27.

McGrath had newly appointed Indian skipper Rahul Dravid caught behind for nought in the following over, and struck again in his next over trapping an out-of-form Brain Lara leg before for five.Indian opener Virender Sehwag who was the only World batsman to impress and South African Jacques Kallis staged a brief recovery from 43 for 3 by adding 91 runs for the next wicket in 20 overs.Just as the Aussie pacemen seemed to be losing fire, skipper Ponting called Warne into the attack in the 25th over, and the star bowler obliged, removing the danger man Sehwag for World XI’s top score of 76 with the total reading 134.

Sehwag who attempted a casual flick to a turning ball that pitched outside the leg stump, could only hit it straight into the hands of waiting forward short leg Simon Katich. Sehwag’s dashing 82-ball innings contained 14 boundaries.
In the very next over McGill had Pakistan captain Inzamam stumped for 1 with a perfect leg break, which he confessed was meant to be a straight one. “Believe me that was supposed to be a straight one. That’s the advantage of being a finger spinner. Maybe I held on to the ball a bit too tight, and luckily it turned out to be a perfect leg break” McGill said later.

Warne struck a double blow a few overs later removing Kallis and his South African partner Mark Boucher within three deliveries. Kallis looked finally to have hit form after a poor one day series making 44 with eight boundaries in 94 balls and his dismissal almost signalled the end of the World as McGill wiped off the tail grabbing the last three wickets. “Those few wickets, especially the last few, anybody could have taken them” confessed McGill later.

Earlier when World XI skipper Graeme Smith collected the second new ball at the start of the second day, English all rounder Andrew Flintoff claimed a wicket each in all his three overs of the morning to bag amazing figures of 3-0-4-3 as Australia lasted a mere five overs before being bundled out for 345, to the addition of just 14 runs to their overnight score of 331 for 6.

Flintoff first trapped the dangerous Adam Gilchrist leg before in the second ball of the morning, and umpire Rudi Koertzen ruled him dismissed after a consultation with the third umpire Rudi Koertzen, one of the few trials of technology introduced by the ICC for the match.

Gilchrist was one of the stars of the opening day, racing to 94 in 109 balls in his typical aggressive manner, but his unexpected early exit dealt Australia a telling blow. Gilchrist made his runs in two and a half hours hitting eight boundaries and four sixes.

Shane Warne and Brett Lee offered edges to slips, failing to cope with Flintoff’s impressive out swinger and Australian tail’s meek surrender was complete when Glenn McGrath was run out by a direct throw from Rahul Dravid at covers.

Flintoff finished with final figures of 18-3-59-4, while Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan who was not required to bowl yesterday finished with his overnight figures of 2 for 102 off a tiresome 30 overs.

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