“Neither Deserved Win”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30044, 31 January 1963, Page 12

“Neither Deserved Win”

[Specialty written for the NZP-A. by W. J. O’REILLY}

ADELAIDE, Jan. 30. Neither side deserved to win in Adelaide—a draw was the correct result for an extremely disappointing game.

Although they battled hard in the closing stages after losing wickets of their two leading batsmen, M. C. Cowdrey and E. R. Dexter, England came out of the game with less skin off their nose than the Australians. With the Sydney test left to decide the Ashes, both teams will need to show a much higher standard of cricket ability and more initiative than they have shown here. England’s efforts must be concentrated upon fielding. It was that department which lost them a splendid opportunity to win this test Those fatal misses which allowed R. N. Harvey to go on were too much altogether to expect the attack to counteract. Australia's batting is still highly suspect One wonders just how our men will take it if both F. S. Trueman and B. Statham land them on a lively wicket in the final test Australian Fielding The Australian fielding, by far our strongest department left England's for dead. For instance the brilliant on» handed diving catch at short slip by Simpson this afternoon dismissed Dexter to give Australia a fleeting glimpse of a favourable ending to the game. No Englishman has brought off a catch like that one during the series.

N. O'Neill. the beet thrower oi a cricket ball I • have ever seen, ran Cowdrey out when Cowdrey and K. F. Barrington were making our attack look second-rate. O’Neill has a magnificent “arm.” Wise men refrain from attempting a run when he is even close to the ball—be it in the covers or on the

boundary fence. The ball comes in like lightning and always seems to be just in the easiest possible position for the taker to break the wicket. Twice this afternoon he gave Barrington a nasty shock when the Englishman thought everything was safe and sound. Fielding like that can swing the balance in a tight series like this one. Benaud Criticised

R. Benaud’s captaincy tactics were roundly criticised in the morning session today. Few people seemed to be prepared for the dour fight he made of the closing stages of Australia's innings. Only 68 runs were scored in two hours* play, and Benaud himself got 35 of them. Once the Australians had batted through the first hour, it became obvious their captain had forsaken any idea he might have had about winning the match. It is easy to direct tactics from outside the fence—much easier than it is oat in the centre. Everyone would have liked to see a real fight at the finish. But handicapped with the torn of A. K. Davidson, Benaud was never sure what risks he could take when he had to contend with batsmen like Dexter, who has shown us more than once that the clock means nothing to him when he sets his batting sail iTthougbt Benaud could quite safely have called it a day at IX3O pjn. Had it been neeecaary it would have been easy enough ro dose the game up late in the afternoon if Englands batsmen became too troublesome But thorn tactics would have brought some unpleasant criticism too. It all boils down, I think, to what we expect from a test match. Certainly we do not want an Australian captain to throw a match away lightheartedly. If the game is played "boots and all” with everyone putting all he has into it there would be no need for any mention of the term “brighter cricket." I knew from the start that the “brighter cricket” talk would become a thin-ice subject for those who talked too much about it ■prrington's remarkable innings embarrassed the Aus-

tralian skipper. There was no need for the Englishmen to make any attempt to score quickly. Given not the remotest chance of getting the runs they were quite entitled to adopt time-killing tactics. Barrington, however, took the chance to score a bril-

liaot century, during which he played the most entertaining cricket of the match. McKenzie gave him a few anxious moments when the ball was new, but from there he went on to thrash the bowling unmercifully. One will watch cricket for a long time to be lucky enough to see a man complete 100 with a wallop over mid-on tor six..

Foreign to Dexter Dexter, the man who dictated Benaud’s early morning go-slow, decided to put the shutters up. The plan was so foreign to his nature that he got himself out He packed up carefully to everything and seldom attempted a shot designed to reach the in-field cordon. It is not always easy to change your style completely. Cowdrey looked set for a big score and .he had his powerful off-drive working perfectly, and showed particular keenness to come to close quarters with Benaud on the on-side. But he fell foul ot the brilliant O'Neil! when he called for a run that looked safe enough—the Australians have been taking easier runs day in and day out. Graveney Burt England’s batting still looks more reliable than ours. Graveney has found his form to make the fourth member of England’s line-up capable of tearing off a test century. He plays our spinners really well, and he hits them hard on the on-side. McKenzie gave him a nasty crack on the left forearm, but recovering from that he went on to play a particularly valuable innings. England’s opening batsmen, however, have been literally shot to pieces. Just as well G. Pullar has a liking for the Sydney ground. That fact might save him his place Sheppard, indisposed this match, will need some solid match practice during the next fortnight. Both selection committees will be giving some anxious thought to the teams they will field for the final test Three Auetra-

liane, W. Lawry, B. Shepherd and K. Mackay, will need luck with them to bold their places.

England’s policy of playing two off-spinners this match did not pay off. It might have done though if fielding support had been keen.

Uliingworth was twice deprived of Harvey’s wicket in the opening stages. They might be inclined to try the policy out again in Sydney, where Titanus bowled with resounding success in the third test.

The Australian team has

always looked the better

in this series when it is in the field. Its catching and throwing has been infinitely superior. But that is where it finishes. In battinc and bowling it has to struggle to hold its own.

If England starts taking chances in Sydney, or we start dropping them, the Ashes might well change hands.