Murray Steers N.Z. To Drawn Game

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31539, 29 November 1967, Page 19

Murray Steers N.Z. To Drawn Game

(From D. J. CAMERON) MELBOURNE. Only a lively innings of 84 by B. A. G. Murray added colour to a drab day when the match between New Zealand and Victoria went slowly and inevitably to a draw yesterday.

Victoria declared at lunch with 402 for six wickets, 104 runs ahead on the first innings, and in the remaining 220 minutes New Zealand—never in danger of defeat with Murray in such good form—scored 161 for five wickets.

New Zealand wiped off the deficit for the loss of three wickets and the only other interest w r as Murray’s unsuccessful bid for his century.

Even if the match had been heading for a draw after three

hours were lost because of rain on Saturday, it deserved a livelier end. • One reason for the doleful finish was that the pitch became slower and the bounce lower with every passing sunny hour. Another reason was the unfathomable tactics of I. R. Redpath, the Victorian captain, and his batsmen. Time-wasting Batsmen Ever since the Victorian bowlers cracked the top of the New Zealand first innings on Friday morning, Redpath held control of the match. He might have declared when ahead on Monday afternoon and passed to B. W. Sinclair, the New Zealand skipper, the responsibility of offering or denying some form of return declaration yesterday afternoon.

Redpath might be excused for not declaring on Monday, but he and his batsmen could hardly be excused for their batting tactics before the declaration. In the 110 minutes before lunch Victoria could score only 62 runs for the loss of three wickets. This meagre score was partly a tribute to Sinclair’s tight field setting, wonderful stopping in the covers and a remarkable burst by B. R. Taylor, who, bowling with a sore side, took three wickets for 12 runs in five overs. However, it was just as much a criticism of the batsmen—even P. A Sheahan took another 45 minutes to go from 150 overnight to 161 before he became the third of Taylor’s victims. Taylor had K. Stackpole and Sheahan with successive balls but failed to clinch his hattrick.

Murray and T. W. Jarvis started the New Zealand second innings quietly against the quicker bowlers, but the first sight of R. M. Cowper’s off-spin was the end of Jarvis, while sweeping Stackpole’s leg-spin and was leg-before

the ball going from bat to pad and gently to Stackpole close in. B. E. Congdon missed and Sinclair had a brief stay before Stackpole bowled him at three for 100. Cowper Punished Then it was all Murray. He had already looked in commanding form by twice hooking bouncers from A. N. Connolly to the fence, and now he took to the spinners. One soaring drive off Cowper failed by only a few yards to become the first six of the match. V. Pollard played almost exactly the same stroke but when he tried it against Stackpole he missed and was bowled. With time running out Murray began to race toward his century. He hooked R. Bitmead to the leg fence and then dropped a drive just inside the sight screen. He tried to hit the next ball for four, missed and was bowled.

Murray batted 200 minutes, hit eight fours, and left M. G. Burgess and B. W. Yuile the task of seeing out the day. They did so, without much trouble.