“HARDTO START AT THE TOP” Sinclair Willing To Give Up Captaincy

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31628, 14 March 1968, Page 15

“HARDTO START AT THE TOP” Sinclair Willing To Give Up Captaincy

(From R. T. BRITTENDEN)

AUCKLAND.

If he is selected for the tour of England next year, the New Zealand captain in the first test against India this season, B. W. Sinclair, said yesterday he would rather go as an ordinary member of the team than as captain.

Sinclair took over the New Zealand captaincy in the second test against England in 1965-66, after M. E. Chapple had to withdraw through injury.

He led New Zealand against the Australians last

summer, and in Australia at the start of this season.

After captaining New Zealand against India at Dunedin, he was unable to play in the next two tests, G. T. Dowling leading the side in the final three internationals. Sinclair said that his attitude could change if he had more opportunity next season

to captain teams at other levels. When he became New Zealand captain, he had not led club or provincial teams and it was “mighty hard to start at the top.” He had no regrets about his captaincy of New Zealand, he said. He had taken it on when New Zealand was in difficulties and was happy to do the job because someone was needed and cricket had given him much. Captaincy was like batting, he said, and required constant practice in match conditions. LACKED BACKGROUND “I found it a considerable strain just captaining a test .side or New Zealand in Australia because I had no background or experience in leadership at any level. Suddenly, I had to do a major job without any apprenticeship.” Asked if he thought captaincy had affected his batting form, Sinclair said that since he took over the captaincy his scoring had dropped considerably, apart from the first two games against England. But he had never felt that captaincy was the reason.

He always felt he went out to bat as a batsman and not as a captain. But perhaps the effect of captaincy problems with his relative inexperience had had an effect. “HAD TO WORK HARD” “I felt the load of responsibility more heavily than others who have led their provinces or even their clubs. A lot of people are born leaders. Some are not. Captaincy and cricket did not come naturally to me. 1 had to work hard to develop my cricket to international standard.”

Sinclair added that he had no hesitation in asking that Dowling should continue to captain New Zealand in the tests against India. After he had been forced to withdraw from the second and third tests, he felt strongly that there should be no further change in captaincy. Dowling had done a fine job at Christchurch. Chopping and changing might have had an unsettling effect on the team.