A WET WICKET.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18287, 22 January 1925, Page 9

A WET WICKET.

AUSTRALIA FAILS. TJED up by slow bowlers M JSUGLAND'S BID FOR VICTORY. {jPtrrfli" 1 * AK® K.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) (Beecivcd January 21st, 10.5 p.m.) ADELAIDE, January 21.

• was a day of Bensational, ealamitous, and inspiring play in the fjjrd Test between England ana Australia' jt was sensational from a spectator's fnotot of view by reason of the unexpected change that came over the giune. It was calamitous to Australia when the side lost seven wickets for thirtynine ww, a ll 4 inspiring to the Englishmen, si ooo each wicket in falling gave them a bettor chanco of winning after the match had seemed hopelessly lost to them. Yesterday's throat of rain was amply fulfilled overnight by heavy downpours showers. Tho weather cleared durmorning, but the pitch was soft pud the outfield heavy. : an inspection at noon, it was announced that play would commence at 12.45 p.m. l Curator Wright declared that the wicket would tear the inside gat-if the ball, and s6 it proved, Australia being *ll out in 67 minutes.

Silaer and Woolley Triumph. , The left-arm men, Kilner and Wool- ' •W»> wled unchanged. Swinging well > and bteakinS right across, they had the Australians bamboozled all the - - time.; Th® averages to-day were:— ■ ij \ Kilner: 65 balls, 4 maidens, 14 inns, 4 wickets. Woolley: 70 balls, 25 runs, 3 wickets. . The wonderful reversal of Australia's i form showed fully the danger of cover-. Jag wickets, which was fast developing purely fine weather batsmen, who were fliwwtwißd easily on a pitch damaged by i ; ; It was melancholy to watch gTeat ] bstanen like Ponsford, Ryder, Vic. and Andrews tied in knots,] " , jfoclng slow left-am bowling, but they ' irth. hopelessly at sea, never knowing anything about the bowling. The "Bot" Sets In. , ' ~-isstralia's downfall commenced in o\l|rst over from Ki&er, Ponsford sifirtejing the seventh ball to Hendren, drive* ./Woolley, at the south end, caught ' Byder off his own first delivery. Tate ifolght Richardson ap extra cover off ball of the over. ' ;\*ln Kilrier's third oyer, Andrews ■picked, the ball to Whysall at second

Gregory was the fifth victim in I ft overs, when he pulled Woolley to |endrea at doep square leg. %v<>. wickets : had fallen in twentytref minutes for nine runs. Kejleway frs the only batsman, to. play confident- j but no one coiald. stay "with him, j ll;'The innings to-day lasted sixty-seveh j^^kinutCß. Sphe pitch improved after .'a heavy Slier had been used, and became an Say batsmen's wicket for the Englishmen's second'strike). IC, .itogUshmen Chase Buns. and' Sutcliffe set out on the Sliitit' df making 375, -and chased runs PlSfeh came in even time, Collins Bufthe .extern? of thwe fouie niff. him in two overs. The ipteiia off and EflgMhi yarf.nArthip - carried on. brilliantlyl Ijry'felfc * setback came when Hobbswafc after the tea adjournoent far 27J » Tho total then was 63. ?,, Hopes of .victory 6ank lower when .VoolNyv'who was batting Brilliantly Kelleway. his leg in front to the for four, and three ;eft:*ere down for 96. I <;Bttteliffa Tory Lucky. ttdiffestayed in, getting 42 in 40 elufting on by means of les. ■■ He then gave three chances, j'if,-;being, caught iby Collins and 6r v while Oldfield liysall joined Sutcliffe and played time, i aglfthd has a possible chance of vic-

Eslpfijyj, 'But v it depends mainly upon a partnership by this pair. | ISfe ' AUSTRALIA. I \ |||ss , First Innings. L <H b Tate .. ««« . »■■« 3 T> Kilner .. •> ®|«»sßd*y, b Freeman ® BbapiilbV) b Tate ~.; •• 0 llffiiTOrd, c Strudwick, b Gilligan 31 jßiftJiMda on, 0 Whysall, b Kilner 4 pglfrews. b Kilner 72 Ppffltenot out .. .. ..201 c Strudwick, b Woolley 16 lbw, b Kilnor .. ..47 St Strudwick, ib Hondren 27 took two wickets for M&MiGUligaft, one for 17; Freeman, one ss|]w^lo7; Woolloy, one for 135j Kilnor, dgPKbjnie for 27; Whysall, none for 9. r Second Innings. b Freeman ... 26 i§psv»iciiardßon, c Kilnefr, b Woolley 14 |Wffr,..b -Freeman ... ••• BSjagyfr.- o and b Woolley ••• }•■> c Hondren, b Kilner ... 4<> c Tate, b Woolley 0 c Whysall, b Kilner ... 1 ®|KG?B<wy, c Hendren. b Woolley ... - b Kilner ... ••• J* not out ••• e Sutcliffe, b Kilnor ... total , ••• 250 S'—Tate, none for 17; Kilner. 51;; Freeman, two for 9*; four for 77. [• ENGLAND. iiij&l: First Innings. •IP**' b Gregory .. ® -ndrews, b Mailey •• ') c Gregory, b Kclleway 1 b, Gregory .. •• Gregory, b Mailey ... 11® Oldfleid. b Byder . • 33 Andrews> b Mailey ... *® SUHliiO Tavlor. b Gregory ... 9* SWHfflEPbw,b A. Richardson ® Collins, bA. Richardson 9 out ■■..,» »■ ■& -•

Bowling—Gregory took three Tickets for 111 runs; Kelleway, one for 24; MaiJey, three for 133; Arthur Richardson, two for 42; Ryder, one £or 15; Collins, none for 19. Second Innings. Hobbs. c Collins, b Richardson ... 27 Sutcliffe, not out ... ... 56 Woolley, b Kelleway ... ... 21 Hendren, lbw, b Kelleway ... 4 not out ... ... 22 Extras ... ••• 3

Total for three wickets ..» 133

AMONG THE CRITICS.

FOURTH DAY FEATS. HOW MAILEY WAS SUITED

(austealian AN'D x.z. cable association.) SYDNEY, January 21. The special correspondent of tho "Sydney Morning Herald," commenting on the match, says that the salient features of tho fourth day's play were tho determined resistance of the English team right up to tho end of the innings, the very noteworthy century of Hobbs, and the brilliant secondinnings batting of tho Australians, with Ryder again occupying the post of honour. With the assistance of the wind Mailey was able to make the ball float a little, which added immensely to the course of tho break ho was producing. A wind Wowing diagonally in relation to the pitch suits his bowling admirably. With judicious interspersion, of over-spin and a straight break he kept tihe batsmen to best defensive measures.

Hendren batted splendidly throughout, very solidly in defence, but always eager to punish anything that gave an opportunity. Ho is always a breezy batsman, entertaining to watch, and full of big possibilities, but in playing to tho state of tho game he was forced to curb his natural tendencies in the exercise of restraint, which is foreign to his temperament in all respeota. Test Match Champions.

Hobbs completed his ninth ocntury in Anglo-Australian Test matches, and has now made 2392 runs for England against Australia in. Teats. No other English player, and only three Australians, have inade aver 2000, and the highest aggregate, 2600, belongs to Clem 1 Hill. In the last) 15 Tosts Hobbs has made nine centuries. Hie average to date ia 58.76. Hobbe has now made his third century in three matches, the second time he has accomplished such a feat, the previous one being in the 1911-12 series. , Ryder was the chief instrument o£ aggression in Australia's second strike. He took the English bowling by the scruff of the neck and hit it all over the field with the utmost impartiality ns to the bowling, and with an abandon and power that sent the spectators away filled with delight. It increased his reputation as a high-class batsman, infinitely more than did his doublecentury in the first innings.

HOME IMPRESSIONS. SID. BARNES'S COMMENT,

LONDON, January '2O. Sid Barnes, in the "Daily Chronicle," states: — . "If GiVligan can use his full bowling strength viotory is still within England's power. The standard ia pennant matches is much higher than in 'TCwgKflh League cricket. . Practice wickets in Australia are so perfect that ooaches are able to concentrate on the straight-bat defensive tartics •jrith which we ai© familiar. Practically every member of an important team is capable of keeping his end up;" . OUligan's Big Probloms.

Colonel Philip Trevor in the "Daily Telegraph," says:— "Winning the toss aid a big initial score are moral rather than technical advantages. I doubt whether we ever sent a team to Australia more able t<» hit out at balls asking, for punishment, but the Australians' initial scores have restrained) our most forcing batsmen under all circumstances. Gilligan's men have been asked to do the biggest things yet required in the history of Test cricket." Fevered Interest Taken.

The "Evening News" says that never in the history of Test cricket has such fevered interest been taken in .the games in Great Britain. Jt oouid not .be greater if the match were being played in London. man in, the street feels keenly and sympathetically for the injured bowlers. The eleven has done well considering the injuries. "We are all with them in spirit, and appreciate the sporting way in which Collins and the spectators are condoling with the Englishmen."

Down in the Dumps. Tbe newspapers mostly take a despondent view of the feet position. Ho "Evening Standard states that there cannot be the least doubt about the issue whatever. A feeling of hope lingers in the minds of a few enthusiasts. . . ~ The "Standard," discussing the probability of lvj'der mating a double conturv. says that scoring two centuries against relatively feeble, bowling 1a child's play compared with Sutcliffe s monumental task in the Sydney match.

lord Hawke "Slogs" Parkin. Lord Hawke created a sensation at the annual meeting of the Cricket Club, when he referred to Cecil Parkin's newspaper criticism of G B B Hinvl;o declared that if Parkin a Yorkshire professional, ha 4 + u^fCommittee held his views, ha WOTl<fncver play on another Yorkshire "VSmi 40 nlav for Lancashire again. Uird Hawko: It is a pity a newsoVionld ask a cnciieter to write paper Everyone in v- °i" ujrf> is heart and soul with Gillorkshire thises his losses lnck more, popular skipir went to Austria. For a rTninc himself a cricketer to at®a? iT beneath contempt. g£ S g »o professional will ever captain Engjjgf* innouneed that ttie vfetire Sam's little difference with Middlesex had been settled altegether. Middlesex gons m t he past two 0 bS nnwarrantably Attacked the

at foot of n«xt column.).

Yorkshire team's sportsmanship. _ Ho thought in some directions cricket needed speeding up. The tea interval, which often provided a good change for the bowler, ought never to exceed 10 minutes.,

"Go Down Fighting.'' Writing in . the "I>a% Chronicle" before the conclusion of the Australians' second' innings, Sid Barnes, the veteran bowler, says:—"We may fce set 550 to make in the fourth knock, which would bei a super-tax on a team of giants. I am afraid we shall go idowit fighting. Whatever happens, the Englishmen have contributed a fair share to remarkable cricket, sugfesting either that the batting of the rst classers, both Australians and Englishmen, has greatly improved, or that the bowling lias deteriorated. My unhesitating opinion is it has not improved, much as tlio present series of prolonged matches indicates. Tate has not received the assistance anticipated from the other bowlers. His temporary absence may have meant a difference between defeat and victory."

REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS." LORD HAWKE SPEAKS OUT. (AUSTRALIA* AND TS.Z. CAB LI ASSOCIATION.) (Received January 21st, 8.40 p.m.) LONDON, January 20.

Referring to the Australians' proposal to draw stumps at six o'clock, wheii tliey were hero in 1921 Lord .Hawko said that permission had only been given for this in the Test matches because ho and the Hon. F. S. Jaeksom and others were unable to attend the Marylebone meeting _ to consider the matter. If the committee had adjudicated on the question, he was not sure whether the six o'clock closing would have been permitted, oven for Tests. The Australians might be told to go elsewhere. These 'matters, together with the eight-ball over, must be considered by Marylebone. It was really time that a definite stand was _ taken against these revolutionary ideas.