Pitching old foes together

As if their attacking style of play wasn’t enough, the opposition bowlers also faced the problem of having to change their line to this left and right combination. If the man from Matara had stuck around a little longer than he did, the bowlers would have found it tough to defend 344.

Shane Warne and Daniel Vettori

The greatest leggie ever and the brightest left-arm spinner in the world today. Though technically the ball turned in the same direction — from leg to off for right-handers — the Asian players would vouch for the effectiveness of the Trans-Tasman spin kings.

Rahul Dravid and Yousuf Youhana

In the season of Indo-Pak goodwill this is one pairing that many in the subcontinent have dreamt about. They have a lot in common — versatile, technical correctness and mental strength. Fall of early wickets meant the crisis men were on familiar ground, but Youhana couldn’t stick around and it meant the purists missed a treat.

Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble

Two bowlers with unique bowling styles. Murali with his prodigious turn and Kumble with his unrelenting accuracy make for a deadly pair. But the magic was missing today as the combination failed to arrest the World XI run flow.

Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting

The coming together of the deadliest right-hander and the devastating left-hander meant the wagon wheel had no spokes missing. Any bowling attack can have nightmares if they get going. They did today and even the Murali-Kumble combine didn’t have a clue.

‘ • We would have liked to have won the game but the result really doesn’t matter
— Asia XI captain Sourav Ganguly

• We owed it to everyone to play our best
— World XI captain Ricky Ponting

• I’m absolutely blown away. This will make a big difference to a lot of people. A whole generation has learned that being generous is a good thing
— World Vision CEO Tim Costello

• It’s a wonderful demonstration of cricket’s sense of social responsibility, as well as it being the greatest game in the world
— Australian PM John Howard ‘