MacGibbon Outstanding On Three Overseas Tours

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28700, 25 September 1958, Page 15

MacGibbon Outstanding On Three Overseas Tours

TT was not surprising to his many friends that Tony Mac Gibbon should enjoy such success as a bowler during New Zealand’s cricket tour of England this year. On two previous overseas tours, he has shown that he can rise to the occasion nobly; he enjoyed outstanding success in South Africa as a bowler, in India arid Pakistan as a batsman. Tony Mac Gibbon enjoys life more than most people, but on tobr he applies himself to the task in hand with tremendous devotion. Mac Gibbon does not have really outstanding bowling or batting talents, but he has heart and energy, and at the end of the most frustrating and tiring day, he bowls with rare determination. It has been said that Mac Gibbon never runs through a side as one might expect a match-winning bowler to do, but he has the ability to snip off the best of the opposing batsmen. In South Africa and Australia in 1953-54 he took 63 wickets, the highest aggregate, and 22 of them were opening batsmen. Another 16 were numbers three or four, another 15 fives, sixes or sevens; only 10 of his victims came from the lower part of the batting order. In the tests he took 22 wickets at an average of only 20.6, and he often bowled magnificently.

Best Effort It is unlikely, for instance, that he has ever bowled as well as he did on the heartless Newlands pitch in the third test. On a hot, still day, Mac Gibbon’s accuracy was phenomenal, and he did things with the ball which the pitch said were impossible. At one stage he had bowled 17 eightball overs for 17 runs—eight of them from fortuitous snicks—and had taken three wickets. “For the New Zealanders, there was a thrill of pride in having a share in Mac Gibbon,” said one account of the match. “Streaming with sweat, crimson with exertion, but utterly determined and apparently tireless, he bowled with the fury lesser cricketers produce only when conditions are much in their favour.” Bowlers had a terrible time in Pakistan and India, but MacGibbon kept trying. Four for 98 off 37.1 overs in the first test against Pakistan was his best effort,, but

he had to bowl on and on. He ! had 40 overs in another test 1 innings, one ball short of 60—for < ; only 121 rims—in another, 43 and 1 38 in others. i Batting r - It was there that his test batting ; became of real value. His pre- ] , vious best test score had been 21, ; ' but his test innings on this tour ; . produced 33, 0, 61, 40, 29 not out, : 7 not out, 59, 46, 24, 23, 21 not out, : ; 0 and 0. In that same season, Mac Gibbon played a notable part > in New Zealand’s first test vic--1 tory, against the West Indies at : Auckland. He it was who disJ missed E. D. Weekes in the first innings for 5, and had G. Sobers i also caught behind by S. C. Guil- » len, for 1; in that innings Mac- ; Gibbon took four for 44 in 21 : » overs, and New Zealand estab- » lished a commanding lead of 110. i In England this year MacGibl bon’s great-heartedness was again t apparent. His five for 64 in the » first test was a magnificent effort, i and he remained New Zealand’s ' best bowler throughout the tour, j His 20 test wickets at 19.4 each was far and away the best New a Zealand effort. Three times in the ' series he was top scorer for his

side, including a splendid 66 in the fourth test. Towards the end of the tour, when the demands on his bowling were not so acute, he made successive scores of 45, 26, 37, 81, 35 and 31. It is only natural that Tony Mac Gibbon should be an idol among young cricketers, for he is an aggressive and attractive player, and he has retained’ the youngster’s enthusiasm for the game. During a broadcast from England he spoke—by name—to some of the boys he has coached at Elmwood Park on Saturday mornings. It was a tremendous thrill for the boys, but typical of Mac Gibbon that he should remember them and realise what the broadcast would mean to them. Mac Gibbon is staying in England to further his engineering studies, and Canterbury will miss him badly this coming summer. For at 330 for two on a blistering day, Mac Gibbon does not look for the close of play. He wants the ball.