A match that had everything

Despite being crushed at Christchurch, Shane Warne said that the World XI were in Wellington to win. They seemed like brave words at the time, with so many World XI players still short of a gallop: that was until Matthew Elliott and Andy Bichel arrived to bolster the side.

Fresh from a meaty diet of Pura Cup cricket - the toughest domestic competition on the planet - the Australian duo provided the competitive edge needed, and that New Zealand Cricket required if they were to maintain a credible series.

Bichel's three late-innings wickets ensured New Zealand's total of 256 for 9 was kept in check. Elliott's 57 off 67 balls to start the run chase was all aggression, while Bichel applied the finishing touches with 37 not out off just 38 balls.

With overnight rain and lingering cloud, it looked for a while that the World XI might not get the chance to atone for its lame first-up effort. But the rain stayed away and the bumper crowd that rolled in on Wellington's anniversary day were treated to a game that had everything.

New Zealand began with a flurry of boundaries before the scoring rate slowed through some tight bowling and an urgent effort in the field which was unsurprisingly spearheaded by a certain Jonty Rhodes tearing around as he did here in the 1992 World Cup.

Rhodes is one of a select few cricketers who have iconic status for their fielding alone. It may be too early to add New Zealand's Hamish Marshall to that list yet, but he's on the way. Whether it is diving full-length to save runs or racing to back up a throw, the likeness of Marshall to Rhodes is uncanny. Kumar Sangakkara found that out to his cost when he skied a delivery over the off-side ring of fielders. Whereas each of Daryl Tuffey, Muttiah Muralitharan and Nick Knight had each spilled catches running back this series, Marshall grabbed his with ease.

The good catches didn't stop there, either. The spinner Sanath Jayasuriya held a lightning return catch from Craig McMillan, while Jeff Wilson showed he has lost none of his brilliance when he expertly caught a Lance Klusener rocket low to his left, also off his own bowling.

On a different tack, ex-Test opener Mark Richardson, decked out in his full-length lycra bodysuit, had a catch of his own during the innings break when he pipped netballer Irene Van Dyk and All Blacks Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu in a handicap sprint race.

When New Zealand analyse where it all went wrong, 'at the death' is sure to feature. New Zealand were unable to get Warne and Murali away in the 48th and 49th overs: the variations of the champion spinners proving too much for Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills. For the World XI Chaminda Vaas found an easy target in Mills, whose horror run at Westpac Stadium continued when he was surprisingly asked to bowl the 47th over.

There were sixes aplenty to procure another decent cheque from New Zealand government for the Tsunami victims. While Wilson's hoist over midwicket received the biggest cheer for a six, the applause Brendon McCullum received after he accepted Sangakkara's word an edge had carried capped a great day of cricket.