Nervous, Inept Batting As N.Z. Dismissed For Only 116

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30764, 31 May 1965, Page 3

Nervous, Inept Batting As N.Z. Dismissed For Only 116

(From K.

T. BRITTEN DEN,

N.Z.PA. Special Correspondent./

EDGBASTON, May 30. It was a day of assorted deep disasters for New Zealand at Edgbaston when the first test with England went into the third day of dark clouds and dreadful cold on Saturday.

But not all the gloom was derived from the wintry weather. New Zealand’s performance in scoring 116 on a pitch which gave the pace bowlers nothing and the spinners only slow turn was among the worst in an undeniably dismal history. It was nervous and inept batting, nearly every batsman losing his wicket to a rank bad shot.

When New Zealand followed on with a depressing deficit of 319 there was welcome pugnacity in the batting. But with the loss of four wickets for 215 runs by the close of play, saving the match is still an immense task. Not all the disasters were in the defeat of batsmen. In the first innings Sutcliffe, ducking to a ball from Trueman, was struck heavily on

the right ear and had to retire. He returned just before lunch but could not continue after the interval and went back to the hotel with a headache. There was a second mishap in the second innings. Congdon and Dowling were giving a fine display and had reached 63 without loss when Congdon, making a vigorous sweep shot at a loose ball from the leg-spinner. Barber, slipped and the ball struck him on the top lip which was cut. He also had to retire and although he returned an hour later, the strong batting thread had been broken. Sin-

clair and Dowling had been dismissed and Congdon himself departed after adding 14 runs. So, although it was a relatively minor mishap, it undoubtedly had a profound effect on the New Zealand second innings. Until it occurred, Congdon had met the challenge of Titmus, England’s most damaging bowler earlier, with resource and skill. Sutcliffe’s injury was ill luck for a struggling team but it probably had little practical effect on the course of the game. Even Sutcliffe at his best could hardly have arrested New Zealand’s swift decline.