New knock-out cricket series begins tomorrow

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32210, 31 January 1970, Page 9

New knock-out cricket series begins tomorrow

•THE three home Plunket Shield matches this season provided, only occasionally, cricket of attractive quality, but the summer Still holds much for the enthusiast, with the Australians playing twice at Lancaster Park and, tomorrow, the beginning of the AN.Z. Bank knock-out competition. The 35-over matches can never replace first-class cricket, but they can supplement it effectively and usefully. There is certain to be considerable Interest in these games, with the entry of 16 covering such distant parts of the cricketing province as Timaru and the West Coast. The sense of urgency inevitable in these time-re-

striated games will hold much appeal for the spectator, and the tactical aspects of the game should be of especial interest. It is clearly not in the best interests of a team to go berserk in Its batting, hitting furiously from the first ball, because a heavy loss of wickets could be fatal. Ideally, there should be brisk scoring, for perhaps the first 20 overs, with the loss of as few wickets as possible, so ' a team can stage an all-out assault over the last 15 overs or so, regardless of cost. The stricture that no bowler is allowed more than seven overs is an interesting one. It must mean that

five or six bowlers are used, and not many senior teams can boast bowling strength to that depth; so there will be some demands on the captains to manoeuvre their forces to the best advantage. Knock-out cricket is certain, too, to infuriate, in one small particular. There will be some very fast running between the wickets, and opportunities for singles will be taken when in ordinary club games they will be ignored. So these knock-out games are going to remind cricketers and watchers, once again, of the futility—in any cricket, at any stage—of refusing the run which can be taken safely but quickly, with good calling and backing-up.