KEEN STRUGGLE EXPECTED

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21968, 17 December 1936, Page 11

KEEN STRUGGLE EXPECTED

AUSTRALIA'S CHANCES IN COMING TESTS

LESSONS FROM DEFEAT AT BRISBANE

WEAKNESS IN FIELDING AND BATTING "TAIL"

[By WENDELL BILL.] BRISBANE, December 11. Australians should not be unduly disheartened because the first cricket test match at Brisbane was lost by such a large margin. It is true that England outplayed our team m every department of the game, but it must be said without fear of contradiction that England had all the luck. The winning of the toss was a great factor, as, had England struck a wet wicket on the last day as Australia did, she would have found O'Reilly can be a terror under these conditions. The loss of McCormick was perhaps the greatest blow to Australia; it threw too much weight on the spin .bowlers, O'Reilly and Ward, and prevented them from obtaining the best results from their bowling. I firmly believe that had McCormick been fit during the entire first day of the match England would have been dismissed for about 200 runs. ' . . .. But conceding both these points, it was in the field that England won the victory. The Australians dropped iar too many vital catches on the first day of the match, which allowed England to fight its way out of a very precarious position, whereas England did not miss a single chance during the whole match. England's fielding display was far superior to anything shown in- previous games, which proves the visitors ability to rise to the occasion. Of Voce and Hardstaff the same can be said. Voce looked a particularly innocuous bowler up to the test and Hardstaff showed unsuspected skill and ngnting qualities. Captain's Services The greatest triumph of the match was undoubtedly Allen's. Apart from his fine batting and bowling, he captained the side exceptionally well, and showed imagination and strategy of the highest order. His splendid stand in •England's second innings will long be remembered, as it carried the side out of the shadow of defeat into the sunshine of victory. . . England has moulded together a well-balanced team now, the chief feature being the presence of so many all-rounders, which eliminates the possibility of a "tail." With Wprthington, Hammond, Allen, Robins, and Verity included, only Voce can be considered weak with the bat—quite a contrast to the "tail" revealed in the Australian team. O'Reilly. Ward, and McCormick can be written off quickly, and Oldfield and Sievers are not by any means reliablebatsmen. Here lies our great weakness together with fielding. _. And what of the. English batsmen who are just striking form? Many runs may be expected from Barnett, Hammond, Leyland. and Hardstaff in future notches, and the bowling appears to be more hostile than previously imagined. Yes, it is going to be a struggle, a long, bitter struggle, and Australia cannot be at all sure of success. There is quite a different feelins now from that of a short time ago. I am afraid that this over-con-fident feeling was in a way responsible for the crushing defeat at Brisbane, as our players had been lulled into a false sense of security. Heavy Scoring Predicted Our team as a whole failed, but let us not get too panicky in the face ot this defeat; that situation is to be avoided at all costs. That the Australian selectors share this view is shown by the choice of the same U players for the second test at Sydney. Australia will enter the field keyed up to the contest, but on this occasion it will not make the mistake of taking its opponents lightly. With even luck Australia should make many runs on the Sydney wicket, and Bradman, after his comparative failure at Brisbane, will be eager to redeem himself. With McCormick once again the spearhead of the attack. O'Reilly and Ward will be able to display their wares more effectively. It can be taken for J granted that greater keenness in the field will be shown than on the last occasion. The Australians have learned their lesson, and I expect them to emerge victorious from the second 6 f expected the selectors to strengthen the batting by the inclusion of either Darling or O'Brien, but as this would have meant discarding Sievers an allrounder of great value, it was decided that it was advisable to retain this player. Badcock would be far better suited by going in No. 5. He is too aggressive for an opening batsman, and no doubt Robinson will be twelfth man. That these two young players failed in the first test is not to be taken too seriously, as we remember many great players of the past who have had a similar experience, including Bradman himself.

O'BRIEN TO REPLACE & BROWN IN TEST

SYDNEY, December 16. The condition of W. A. Brown's thumb will not permit him to play in the second test as one of Australia's opening batsmen. L. P. O'Brien, the Victorian left-hander, has been selected to replace him.