Barrington May Be Twelfth Man In Test

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30480, 30 June 1964, Page 15

Barrington May Be Twelfth Man In Test

GV.Z: Press Association— Copyright)

LONDON, June 29. 1 he test batsman, K. F. Barrington, who topped the M.C.C. averages during the last tour of Australia, could be twelfth man „ for the third test starting on Thursday, two cricket writers agreed today.

lan Woolridge, of the “Daily Mail,” said Barrington, M. C. Cowdrey and F. S. Titmus were fighting for their test places.

All three were named in the third test 12 by the England selectors today. Twelfth man will be named just before play begins. Crawford White, of the “Daily Express,” said the choice would certainly be between Barrington and the left-arm slow bowler, Norman Gifford. Gifford was chosen for his first test appearance in the drawn second test. The team for the test is;—

E. R. Dexter (captain), K. F. Barrington, G. Boycott, T. W. Cartwright, M. C. Cowdrey, J. H. Edrich, J. A. Flavell, N. Gifford, P. H. Parfitt, J. M. R|rks, F. J. Titmus, F. S. Trueman.

The new men are Boycott, the Yorkshire opening bat, and Cartwright, of Warwickshire. P. Sharpe and L. Coldwell were dropped. All-Rounder Cartwright was an allrounder in the full sense of the word, the “Daily Sketch” cricket commentator, Brian Scovell said today. Cartwright has taken 68 wickets this year—more than any other bowler. He is joint fourth in the fielding chart with 18 catches. He has scored 390 runs at an average of 20—not far behind Cowdrey and Barrington. Scovell said the selectors had voted for Cartwright after on of them, Mr W. Watson, had decided the test pitch was likely to “seam a bit.” “The Times” correspondent said it was difficult to say who the selectors would drop from the test 12 if they decided to leave out a • batsman at Headingley on Thursday. Should a bowler be omitted it would presumably be Cartwright or Flavell. Cartwright was of much the same type

as Coldwell who had "bowled himself out of the reckoning” by his grilling at Lord’s during Australia’s second innings.

“The pitch is reported as being a beauty and Dexter is known to lean towards the strongest possible attack .. .. No-one will envy the selectors their ultimate task.” “Playing Safe”

E. W. Swanton of the “Daily Telegraph” said England’s selectors were playing safe. Cartwright was an insurance against an unlikely possibility of a too-grassy wicket. In general the selection was “unspectacular,” he said.

“Let me add a word of protest at the parrot-cry about leg spinners being no worry to Australians,” said Swanton. “Such generalisations are far too sweeping to have much value. I seem to remember the present chairman of selectors, Mr Allen, winning a test match by bowling Bradman with a googly that he left alone.”

Brian Chapiiian in the “Daily Mirror” said Cowdrey and Barrington had been reprieved by the selectors. “But unless a more positive approach is shown at Headingley heads will certainly roll,” he wrote.

lan Wooldridge said Cowdrey, Barrington and Titmus would all be fighting for their test places. Of Cartwright he said: “His ruthless if monotonous efficiency is the main factor bebehind Warwickshire’s seasonlong pace-setting in the county championship. “His methods may well make some of the selectors pre - season bright - cricket manifestos sound hyprdcritical. But personally I am pleased they are not jeopardising England’s chances of winning for sake of some pious pledge.”