CONGDON OR BURGESS TO BE OMITTED? Turner’s Claims Confuse Final Test Selection

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32072, 21 August 1969, Page 13

CONGDON OR BURGESS TO BE OMITTED? Turner’s Claims Confuse Final Test Selection

(From K. T. BRITTENDEN. N.Z P.A. special correspondent) LONDON. New Zealand’s most adhesive batsman, G. M. Turner, has returned to the list of candidates for the third and final test with England, which will begin at the Oval today.

Turner, who suffered a broken bone in his left hand when playing against Minor Counties on August 1, will have another X-ray examination before the New Zealanders’ final net practice, in the hope that it will confirm his fitness for the match.

Turner is very keen to return to the fray—and has been in the nets every day, even when batting was a painful exercise.

He has missed the last four matches, but his regular practices offer some compensation for this, and if he is fully fit, he would strengthen the side very considerably. Unfortunately, B. D. Milbum is now a very doubtful candidate. Late in the game against Sussex he injured a finger in his left hand. It is badly bruised, he could not bend it last night, and he is to be examined today in case there has been a break. Milbum’s wicket-keeping against Sussex was of a particularly high order, and he must have had a very good chance of recovering his test place. If Turner is passed fit and selected, one of the batsmen from the earlier tests will have to be dropped. G. T. Dowlieng has not been in

convincing form, but it is unthinkable that he should not play; the side would be lost without his leadership.

B. A. G. Murray is a certainty. His form has been consistently good, his approach quietly confident. B. F. Hastings played New Zealand’s most accomplished test innings this season at Trent Bridge, and can hardly be excluded.

So if the three opening batsmen find places, either B. E. Congdon or M. G. Burgess will have to be dropped. It will be a very difficult decision to make. Congdon has the advantage of greater test experience, and he scored well at Trent Bridge. But he started that innings wretchedly, giving at least two chances. Burgess is a little ahead of Congdon in tour averages and aggregates, but he has been one of the unluckier batsmen, and has more often than some been required to risk his wicket in the team interests. It is a dreadfully hard choice, for both of them are outstanding fieldsmen. Burgess has his value as an additional off-spinner, but Congdon is probably better able to force runs out of a tight attack, and he may win the place.

Cunis Fancied The New Zealand bowling is sure to show changes. Taylor will be back, for one, and although it must seem a little unreal to select a test bowler on the basis of one performance, R. S. Cunis must be given very earnest consideration. In the second test, D. R. Hadlee and R. O. Collinge bowled very poorly for some time, better later. Collinge was the better of the two, although Hadlee was still suffering from a groin injury sustained a match or two earlier. But there is something to be said for selecting the man who has his tail up, and Cunis has clearly had his confideee restored after some disappointing efforts earlier in the tour. If there is a wind blowing, he could keep the less desirable end going for long periods. The selection of Cunis would have been unthinkable a few days ago, but against Sussex he regained all the accuracy and movement typical of him at his best.

He would cost the side little in batting, compared with Hadlee and Collinge. His fielding is not swift, but. he looks a likely third seam bowler.

There might be a fleeting thought about including him and leaving out one of the pace bowlers, but the Oval pitch will probably demand the usual trio of fast men.

Close To Victory Although it narrowly failed to force a victory at Hove, Sussex being 121 for nine at the close after being set 249 to win, it was an encouraging match for the New Zealanders. It has to be remembered that J. A. Snow bowled little, there was a fine batting pitch for the last two days, and that a county match does not make the particular demands of a test. But New Zealand at Hove batted with such enterprise and assurance, and the pace bowlers performed with such zeal and skill, that New Zealand must begin the third test with reasonable hopes of doing at least as well as it did when it drew the second match on very nearly even terms. New Zealand was within tantalisingly close reach of its first victory over a county team at Hove when Sussex’s eighth wicket fell in the sixth of the final 20 overs. But excellent defence from the unlikely Sussex combination of a player from Bombay, E. Solkar, and another from the Rhondda Valley, E. Lewis, held out the eager New Zealanders, the ninth wicket falling from the last ball of the game. NEW ZEALAND First Innings 273 Second Innings G. Dowling c Griffith b A. Buss 1 B Murray b M. Buss .. 75 B. Congdon lbw b Greig .. 10 V. Pollard run out .. 62 B. Taylor lbw b M. Buss . 14 M. Burgess c A. Buss b M. Buss 12 B. Yuile not out .. 10 B. Mots b M. Buss .23 Extras (byes 10. legbyes 8) .. ..18 Total for 7 wkts dec. 223 Fall of wickets: One for 7, two for 37, three for 165, four for 165, five for 186, six for 193, seven for 225. Bowling.—Snow, 5. 1,8, 0; A. Buss. 6,0, 18, 1; M. Buss, 21, 5, 70, 4; Greig, 13, 3, 40, 1; Lewis, 5. I, 20, 0; Solkar, 5, 1. 33. 0; Suttle, 6,2, 18, 0.

SUSSEX First Innings 256 Second Innings L. Lenham c Burgess b Pollard .. .. 10 M. Buss b Taylor .. .. 11 G, Cooper b Motz .. 10 P. Graves c Pollard b Motz 1 A. Greig lbw b Taylor .. 17 K. Suttle c Yuile b Motz .. 0 M. Griffith c Congdon b Howarth 18 E. Solkar not out 29 A. Buss c Burgess b Howarth 0 E. Lewis c Taylor b Howarth 19 Extras (byes 2, leg-byes 3, no-balls 1) 6 ■ Total for nine wkts 121 Fall of wickets: One tor 17, two for 31, three for 33, four for 33, five for 33, six for 60, seven for 80, eight for 80, nine for 121. Bowling.—Taylor, 10, 4, 19, 2; Cunis, 7,1, 25, 0; Motz, 12, 5, 21, 3; Pollard, 8,4, 12, 1; Howarth, 15, 5, 38, 3.