Australia's Second Eleven

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21085, 9 February 1934, Page 8

Australia's Second Eleven

It is to be regretted that, of the Australian team recently picked to tour New Zealand, four members have declined the invitation. Richardson still stands among the great Australian cricketers; Nagel for a moment seemed to be the heavensent bowler that Australia needed in the last test series; and Rigg and McCormick have done brilliant

things for Victoria. But regret need not be very deep and there need be no anxiety at all about the standard of the tejm. Ryder, Theak, Scaife, and Tre/jbath take the places of the four who have withdrawn —the first, one of Australia's latter-day veterans and an experienced captain; the other three, younger men in the first class in state cricket. Among the original selections are Fingleton, Nitschke, Chilvers, Clem Hill the second, and the already celebrated young Tasmanian, Badcock. The 13 who now compose the team have variety and strength more than enough to test and overthrow the best possible New Zealand eleven that could at present be fielded against them; and no major province could expect to hold its own or to gain the upper hand unless by excelling itself, in Canterbury's old manner, or with the conspiring favour of the wicket, the weather, and the caprice of cricket. That the Australians are a second eleven is of course obvious; but that it is a formidable and worthy second is no less obvious. In another season, no doubt, it will be the privilege of the Dominion to welcome and watch a side containing many of the test match players of the last and the coming series. In the meantime, it is already so long since a strong oversea team played its way through New Zealand that this Australian visit is much to be desired; and it is worth remembering that it is not always the overwhelmingly powerful team whose visit is the most profitable. The Melbourne Cricket Club tour, hastily arranged by Mr Hugh Trumble some years ago, was more valuable than the flying visits of the South Africans and the last M.C.C. team and little less valuable than any other in the last 20 years.