CRICKET Australian Team To Tour Dominion

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29108, 21 January 1960, Page 6

CRICKET Australian Team To Tour Dominion

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

MELBOURNE, January 20.

The former Australian test captain, I. D. Craig (New South Wales), has again been chosen to lead an Australian cricket team to New Zealand.

The team will tour the Dominion in late February and March.

The wicket-keeper, L. Maddocks (Victoria) has beeen selected vice-captain.

The one surprise was the choice of the Western Australian off-spinner, K. Slater, who played against England in the third test last season, but has had little success in inter-State Sheffield Shield cricket this season.

The team, announced in Melbourne today by the chairman of the Australian Board of Cricket Control (Mr W. J. Dowling) is:— I. Craig (New South Wales), aged 24, captain. Right-hand opening batsman.

L. Maddocks (Victoria), aged 33, vice - captain, wicket - keeper, right-hand batsman. B. Booth (New South Wales), aged 26, right-hand batsman.

B. Fisher (Queensland), aged 26, right-arm fast bowler. R. Gaunt (Western Australia), aged 25, right-arm fast bowler. J. Lili (South Australia), aged 26, right-hand batsman. J. Martin (New South Wales), aged 28, left-arm slow bowler, handy batsman. F. Misson (New South Wales), aged 21, right-arm fast bowler. J. Potter (Victoria), aged 21, right-hand batsman. I. Quick (Victoria), aged 26. left-arm slow bowler.

J. Shaw (Victoria), aged 27, right-hand batsman. R. Simpson (Western Australia), aged 23, right-hand opening batsman, leg-spin bowler. G. Thomas (New South Wales), aged 21, right-hand batsman. K. Slater (Western Australia, aged 25, right-arm off-spin bowler.

The Board of Control appointed a fellow-member (Mr H. C. Smith) as manager. The team is strong in batting, and average in bowling. It is essentially a tour to give younger players experience. Five of the team—Craig, Maddocks, Gaunt, Simpson, and Slater—have played test cricket, while Craig, Gaunt, Martin and

Simpson toured New Zealand in 1957.

The team will leave Sydney by air for New Zealand on February 10, and begin its first match at Auckland the next day. Slater is the only off-spinner in Australia at present with any claims to test cricket. The fact that he “pushes” the ball into the wicket with finger spin—rather than relying on flight and wrist spin which has proved unsuccessful in England—undoubtedly weighed with the selectors. He can also bowl fast-medium—-he took four for 8, including P. B. H. May for a “duck” for Western Australia against the M.C.C. last season with fast deliveries—but in the Sydney test he bowled off-spinners. In that match he took two for 40 (again dismissing May for 42) and none for 61. He was twelfth man in the second test at Melbourne and in the fourth test at Adelaide. He is a useful batsman and a fine fieldsman. The New South Wales fast bowler, F. Misson, may have been lucky to gain selection ahead of J. Power (Victoria), aged 27, and D. Hoare (Western Australia), aged 25. Misson has not got the pace of either of the other pair, but at 21 he has a great deal of potential. This season, he has taken 22 wickets at an average of 24.6, opening the attack for New South Wales. This is Misson’s first full season with New South Wales.