Determined Effort Needed By New Zealand At Eden Park

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30064, 23 February 1963, Page 9

Determined Effort Needed By New Zealand At Eden Park

YEW ZEALAND habitu--1 ally enters test cricket matches with the nervous diffidence ot an untutored child being asked to recite before visitors, ■nd at Auckland today, when the first of three matches against England begins, lack of confidence may present one of the higher hurdles. On the surface, at least, the trial match against Central Districts at New Plymouth did nothing to breed a belief that New Zealand might win, for the first time, in its twentyninth match with England. The batting there was

bitterly disappointing, and the cricket public was left with nothing much more than a share of the amateur actors’ hope, after a last rehearsal, that “everything will be aU right on the night.” At New Ply-

mouth, the bowling was also far from satisfactory, although R. C. Motz and J. R. Reid did well, and since then B. W. Yuile has gone into the team. The match is a most important one for New Zealand’s prestige, for since the debacle against England at Christchurch in 1958-59. there has been a period of comparative success, with good performances against Australia, the M.C.C. touring team, and South Africa. The team in South Africa last summer, playing to-, gether for so long, and enjoying important victories, must have achieved some measure of confidence, and with nine members of that team playing today, it might have been expected that New Zealand would go into the match with some hope of success. But of the batsmen only Reid and G. T. Dowling have had the form to suggest they could score really well.

Determination, however, will not be lacking in the batting. W. R. Playle. better suited to the opening position than lower m the list, P. T. Barton, B. W. Sinclair, and J. T. Sparling are all resolute players who will not bow the knee Without some persuasion. If Reid and Dowling are to be allowed an opportunity of producing long inning, some of them will have to hold on for significant periods. The batting throughout

the Plunket shield series was quite mediocre in quality, and the New Zealanders will need to be in their best form if they are to resist a bowling team which, if considerably below the standard of many English teams, has been nevertheless, good enough to contain Australia’s batsmen.

New Zealand’s bowling has suffered with the withdrawal of G. A. Bartlett. Many cricketers felt he should not have been chosen because of his lack of wickets this season, but there is no mistaking the disruptive effect he can have on a batting side, with his extraordinary pace. The reduction of the pace bowlers to two—Motz and F. J. Cameron —may not be as serious as it seems, however, if the Eden Park pitch is as slow and unresponsive as it was for the AucklandCanterbury game; on that occasion it was, apparently, very like the Sydney wicket on which the fifth test was played. With Reid to bowl brisk off-cutters, Sparling to bowl off-breaks, Yuile with leftarm spin, and J. C. Alabaster with right-hand legbreaks, New Zealand has some useful slow bowling, and Yuile might also reinforce the bowling with some overs of medium pace. The fielding of the New Zealanders should be good; it will have to be good if the side is make a bold showing. The test series in Australia underlined once more the importance of accepting chances. England has some players New Zealand will be eager to see. They may not relish

another test—even against New Zealand—sd soon after the Sydney match, but there is little doubt that with more relaxed battling, scoring rates in the New Zealand tests will be reasonable.

E. R. Dexter, K. F. Barrington, M. C. Cowdrey—all great batsmen—will be the main attractions. But Trueman is one of the great cricket personalities, and so, now, is -F. J. Titmus. England has plenty of bowling plenty of batting, and if fielding improves on its Australian level, New Zealand will have a desperate struggle. The Auckland match, nevertheless, probably presents New Zealand with its best chance. A little luck, and much ‘resolution, could make the game a good one.