No Place For Players Who Waste Time

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31235, 6 December 1966, Page 21

No Place For Players Who Waste Time

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. Players who deliberately wasted time on the cricket field would not be considered for selection in the New Zealand team this season, said the former test captain and present selector, Mr M. Chapple, yesterday.

He said in a statement in Palmerston North that he and the other national selec tors, Mr K. R. Deas (Auckland) and Mr W. McD. Anderson (Christchurch), fully supported the board of control’s policy to increase the tempo of the game.

"To show that this is not just token approval we want to state emphatically that no player who deliberately wastes time on the cricket field, whether batting, bowling or fielding, will be considered for selection in the New Zealand team,” he said. “With that in mind we intend to choose the best team available for the home series against the Australian XL

“The criteria for selection will be current form, experience, past performance and temperament. “Factors such as a player’s ability to play according to the needs of his team and team balance will receive our closest attention. We expect all players to be fit in the widest sense of the word. “Test matches this season are of four days’ duration and therefore it would be essential that players have trained

themselves to last the full three days of Plunket Shield cricket at least.”

Mr Chapple said: “We hope to be in a position to select the first New Zealand team for more than one test but obviously we cannot be more definite about this until later in the season.” Selectors Confident

He said the selectors were facing the coming season “with relative confidence.” “The visit of the Australian team should serve as a stimulus to the Plunket Shield season. “There is, too, the visit of the New Zealand team to Australia next November and, obviously, the form shown during ■ the present season will have considerable bearing on the selections for that tour. “With the visit of an Indian team to New Zealand to

follow, we regard the coming season as one vital to New Zealand,” said Mr Chapple.

“To ensure that an assessment of players’ form is as accurate as possible, it is intended that at least one selector will be present for part of each Plunket Shield match. “Of course, this is a minimum and we have planned to have two selectors present, whenever possible, for the entire match. “Provincial matches before the test matches will also be adequately covered,” he said.