THE SECOND TEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 152, 29 June 1926, Page 6

THE SECOND TEST.

There are no certainties in cricket, still it is fairly safe to predict that the second Test match will end in an unsatisfactory draw. Some English writers criticised the Australians for not going for the bowling after tea on the first day. That criticism has proved a veritable boomerang, for while the Australians had only one man, Bardsley, who could be relied upon to hit, both Hobbs and Sutcliffe got well set, and yet their rate of

scoring was exactly the same as that of the visitors, so that if one side can be called to account for playing safe, the criticism applies with equal force to the other. It seems more than probable, apart from wet wickets, that the only Test to be played to a finish will be the last; the time allotted for the first four is absolutely insufficient on a good, or even a fair, wicket. There

is some hope that this very unsatisfactory possibility will be eliminated in future tours. The Imperial Cricket Conference, at which England, Australia, South Africa, Xew Zealand, India, and the West Indies were represented, unanimously passed a resolution that for future Test matches in England more than three days should be allowed, and that they should be played out if possible. If the M.C.U. confirms this the Tests will become much more interesting and decisive, and the destination of the "ashes" will not depend upon the merest chance.

The M.C.C. cannot confirm the decision without consulting the county cricket authorities, and there the difficulty lies. The weaker counties already suffer a good deal financially by the visit of the Australians through the loss of a couple of matches and general interference with the programme. Playing out the Tests will increase their difficulties, and it would also upset to some extent the sacrosanct traditions surrounding the county contests. Thus it is quite possible that the proposal, despite its unopposed adoption at the conference, may not find favour at this later consultation. However, the visits

occur only once in every five years, the occasion is a great one, and the Tests are the essence of the whole tour. Under the circumstances it is to be hoped that both tradition and finance will be pushed into the background, so that finality may be reached.