Rian takes on Julian, and Xavier clashes with former player Andrew Pearson.
Read on to see the results...
Rian and Julian have never batted together, despite playing together 65 times. Game number 8 was chosen at random for this semi-final - way back on 12/10/09. In this match Julian made 20 and Rian 26, setting up for a potentially tight contest.
The first 6 balls of the match, all faced by Julian, contained 4 wides, clearly robbing him of a chance to take an early lead in this World Cup clash. Both players hit their first ball of their second over to the back net - Julian's went via the side net, while Rian went straight and aerial to take a 1-0 lead.
Julz faced 3 more wide balls throughout his innings, and was caught twice in the final over, clearly looking for the equaliser. In the end, he was not able to pull back the required goal, giving Rian the win, and the first place in the World Cup final.
Pearson and Xavier never batter together, but Xavier played in every one of the 15 games that Pearson did. Game number 6 was chosen (8/3/10). This game was also used for the group stage match between Brad and Matt - but neither of these players have used their innings from it, so it's a valid choice.
It was a quiet start, both players struggling to score. Both lost wickets, and Pearson was the only to score more than a two for more than 2 overs. Then Xavier broke the monotony, and the deadlock, with a goal early in the third over. It was the only shot of any substance he would put away for the whole match. With Pearson doing the same thing, it looked like being another 1-0 scoreline, until Andrew pulled one out of the bag on the penultimate delivery - the last ball he faced. Scores level at full time!
Going into extra time, you can probably gather from the write-up above that neither player hit a five. Scores still level.
Continuing with 'penalties', and I'll just repeat the previous sentence... "you can probably gather from the write-up above that neither player hit a four. Scores still level.
The final tie-breaker before we simply award the game to the highest seed (which will be Pearson), is to compare total runs scored.
After 3 overs: Pearson was 0, Xavier was 8. Both players were caught off the first ball they faced in their respective final overs. Xavier then faced a string of dots with a no-ball in the middle, and a 2 at the end, extending his already-comfortable lead.
But then... on the second-last balls of each pair: Xavier was run-out while Pearson hit his seven. A 12-run turnaround, and scores were level at 4-4 with one ball to go. Xavier had the strike in his pair, Pearson did not. Xavier hit a two, scraping home in an absolute thriller...!
Result summary
Rian 1 - 0 Julian
Pearson 1 (4) - 1 (6) Xavier
And so, amid the inevitable cries of "Rigged!", Rian and Xavier will contest the final. But you know... it just wouldn't be a proper World Cup without speculation of corrupt officials behind the scenes!
Upcoming Matches
| Match | Result coming... | |
| 3rd/4th | Julian v Pearson | Tuesday |
| Final | Rian v Xavier | Tuesday |
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