Tour Side Not Great, But Young, Eager

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30678, 18 February 1965, Page 18

Tour Side Not Great, But Young, Eager

(By

R. T. Brittenden.

“The Press” cricket writer who will travel with the team)

The New Zealand cricket team which takes off on Tuesday evening on the first leg of a remarkable round-the-world tour will carry with it the good wishes of New Zealand’s considerable cricket community: but it has much more to take away than expressions of goodwill.

It is not a great side, and is unlikely to develop into one. But it looks extremely competent, and regular match play for several months could mould it into something more.

The test series with Pakistan, just completed, taught several lessons. Principal among them was that genuine spin bowlers had to be found. It was a rather desperate search, but two have been included in the touring team.

Second, there were flaws, more of temperament than technique, which led to some dreadful collapses in the tests. At Christchurch in the third test there was evidence that this fault had been at least partly overcome, probably through the very fact that it was the third match; it is not uncommon for a home team in a test series to take time to gather itself together.

The third most obvious weakness of New Zealand’s cricket in these tests was the lack of batsmen with the strokes and the enterprise to attack. The tour selection has not overcome this, which makes the absence of B. F. Hastings or M. F. J. Shrimpton regrettable, for as it stands only J. R. Reid and, to a lesser extent, B. W. Sinclair, have the necessary stroke equipment. Worst To Tour N.Z. On the other side of the ledger, R. W. Morgan showed on Tuesday that he is able to use his feet to spin, and the inclusion of B. Sutcliffe should help, for he is still one of the most proficient players of slow bowling. As a tour preliminary, the test series with Pakistan was disappointing. There was much to deplore in New Zealand’s cricket, and Pakistan is almost certainly the worst test touring side to visit New Zealand. Its bowling was usually good, with Asif a fine opener, Pervez and Intikhab clever spinners; but the fielding was woefully weak and the batting bitterly disappointing. More than that, there was a timidity about Pakistan’s approach to the game which did cricket poor service, and which may have tended to flatter New Zealand’s bowling.

Cut To Pieces On the last morning at Christchurch, Hanif and the others cut the pace bowling to pieces. It was an isolated act of aggression, and even then Hanif seemed more a man intent on scoring a century than a captain eager for victory, with his delayed declaration.

New Zealand’s batting was often weak, usually slow, but winning positions were won at Wellington and Auckland, only to be lost—first through the lack of good spin to support the flagging pace at the Basin Reserve, then through a melodramatic collapse, when victory was in sight. Over the three matches, however, New Zealand averaged 25.5 runs a wicket to Pakistan’s 23.2, which may be some small compensation for three more drawn games. Ahead, New Zealand has some sticky problems. On Saturday week, the first test starts in Madras—only two days after a very long and exhausting period of air travel. New opponents, strange conditions, and fatigue are some of the difficulties, and a really good performance in the first test, against a team which beat Australia last October, can hardly be expected. The New Zealand team will not be nearly as experienced as it was expected to be. For some years it has been the policy of the New Zealand selection panel to keep together, as far as possible, the group of players it regarded as its best, but time and circumstance have caused some swift changes recently. Since the successful tour of South Africa in 1961-62, and including the present touring team, 31 players have been chosen for New Zealand.

The principal tour problems are the lack of strokemaking batsmen and the experimental nature of the spin. G. T. Dowling, B. E. Congdon, T. W. Jarvis, R. W. Morgan apd B. W. Yuile are not swift scorers. Morgan is beginning to develop his offside play much more, and his burgeoning ability to get down the pitch could increase his stature further. There is certainly some aggression from among the lesser batting lights—B. R. Taylor and R. C. Motz, in particular—but much may depend, so far as batting is concerned, on the progress of V. Pollard and G. E. Vivian. They have been chosen primarily as bowlers, but they are both highly promising batsmen, and one or other could force his way well up the batting list.

Recover Some Glory Sutcliffe, who will be batting at number six, will have a heavy responsibility. His form has not been really convincing, but there is good reason to believe that on tour he could recover some of his glory. In India and Pakistan, where there is not expected to be much hostile pace bowling, and the pitches play truly, he should do well. He. is the only batsman who looks capable of attacking, or defending, with success in the middle of the order. » The selection of Jarvis is something of a gamble. He ■is one of five players of much more promise than experience. But the New Zealand batting looks reasonably solid, if not exceptionally exciting, and should Pollard and Vivian develop their batting one or other, in a test team, would help lengthen the list. The bowling this season has depended largely on pace, but in India and Pakistan the faster bowlers may find conditions extremely trying, and their output of overs may be quite severely curtailed. This will throw a heavy burden on the experienced, steady Yuile, and the young spinners, Pollard and Vivian. Hard Labour Ahead

. In England, Motz, Cameron and Collinge should win con- , siderable respect Earlier, it , will be hard labour. But at least there is a strong prospect that both India and Pakistan may treat all test bowling with some deference, and a repetition of Pakistan’s assault on the New Zealand pace bowling last Tuesday morning is unlikely, unless all prospects of defeat for the home team has gone, and time is .running short. By the same token, the young spinners may be encouraged in the settlingdown period. J. T. Ward is in his best tfonn as a wicket-keeper, and there should be few fears about New Zealand’s fielding. It may be unwise to keep R. O. Collinge in the slips, but 'behind the wicket there are specialists such as Taylor, Jarvis, Congdon and Dowling, and'in front first-class fieldsimi

ten like Heid, Pollard, Sutcliffe, Sinclair and Vivian. Application, the strength to 'accept failures, and a little [luck could give this young 'and undoubtedly eager New Zealand team a rewarding sort of record.