World XI captain Ricky Ponting stroked a superb 115 to lead his side to a comprehensive 112-run win over Asia in Monday's charity match for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami.
International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed announced after the game that US$11 million had been raised on the day for the tsunami appeal.
PHOTO: AFP
Man-of-the-match Ponting was in sparkling touch, hitting eight fours and three sixes in a game played before a sell-out crowd of 70,101 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
"All the players owed it to the organizers and the people who were watching it all around the world to make sure it was a really competitive, good game of cricket," Ponting said.
New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns smashed 69 from 47 balls and West Indies captain Brian Lara scored an effortless 52 for the World XI. Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took three wickets for 59 for Asia.
In reply to the World XI's 344 for eight, Asia scored 232 all out in 39.5 overs.
India batsman Rahul Dravid was unbeaten on 75 for Asia and his compatriot Virender Sehwag hit an aggressive 45 from 39 balls at the top of the order, including five fours and one six.
Spinners Daniel Vettori of New Zealand (3-58) and Australia's Shane Warne (2-27) took five wickets between them for the World XI.
"Being out there on the field was more important [than the result]," Asia captain Saurav Ganguly said.
"Obviously they got 344 runs on the board which took the game away from us but we are very happy with the amount of money being raised and that it was a successful day," he said.
Watched by an estimated global television audience of one billion, the match was the first of a two-game series. A second match will be staged on the Indian subcontinent either next month or March.
Australia's World Cup-winning captain Ponting and Test cricket's world-record holder Lara were two of the big-name players the crowd came to see and the pair batted beautifully, adding 122 for the third wicket.
India paceman Zaheer Khan had struck two early blows for Asia, removing openers Chris Gayle (1) and Adam Gilchrist (24) caught behind by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara.
Lara, who hit three fours, holed out to long off off the bowling of spinner Anil Kumble at 172 for three in the 31st over.
Ponting and the hard-hitting Cairns shared a 91-run stand from 55 balls before the Australian was stumped off Kumble at 263 for four.
A bizarre decision to promote Australia tailender Glenn McGrath to number six failed when the lanky paceman made a first-ball duck.
Muralitharan also removed Cairns and Matthew Hayden (2) -- the Australian opener was batting at eight -- before New Zealanders Stephen Fleming (30) and Daniel Vettori (27 not out) pushed the total over 300.
Sri Lanka's Sangakkara gave a fine individual effort behind the stumps for Asia with three stumpings and two catches.
India batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who could not play because of an elbow injury, made an appearance as a substitute fieldsman to the delight of the crowd, as did World XI coach and former Australia captain Steve Waugh.
Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya (28) and Sehwag put on 59 for the first wicket for Asia before Cairns had Jayasuriya caught at slip in the 10th over. Jayasuriya's mother was badly injured and spent a week in hospital following the tsunami, which left her clinging to a tree to avoid death.
The diminutive Sehwag tried to smash Warne over mid-wicket in the 13th over and was caught in the deep by Gayle at 76 for two as Warne struck with his second ball of the match.
Left arm spinner Vettori made the key breakthrough of removing Ganguly for 22, caught at mid-on by Gough, and Warne claimed the wicket of Pakistan's Yousuf Youhana (4) seven runs later at 114 for four.
Sangakkara (24) fell to Gough's bowling and Abdul Razzaq (11) was stumped after a wild slog attempt off Warne's bowling.
Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe
Celebrations broke out across Bangladesh on Monday as the cricket-mad nation beat Zimbabwe to record its maiden Test victory.
Offices erupted in cheers as crowds gathered around television sets to witness the historic moment.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was among those to send congratulations to the team, coaches and cricket board officials, the official news agency BSS said.
"We are ecstatic. It is a victory for the whole nation," said Momohsin Uddin Chowdhury, manager of a television showroom in Chittagong.
A crowd of more than 100 people gathered outside the showroom to watch the match through the window, he said.
The prime minister paid tribute to all those who had contributed to the victory and urged the team to strive to improve its performance further, BSS added.
Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 226 runs on the fifth and final day of the opening Test at Chittagong.
They had lost 31 of their 34 previous matches since gaining Test status in 2000. The remaining three Tests -- two against Zimbabwe and one against the West Indies -- were drawn.
Chittagong school pupil Tasosin Alam, 16, broke away from studying for exams to watch the Tigers claim their long-awaited triumph.
"Finally Bangladesh has won a Test victory, it is a dream come true," he said.
Work was put on hold in many offices on Monday morning as mes-merized staff willed their team on.
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