Cricket team picks itself

Press, 22 June 1978, Page 24

Cricket team picks itself

From R. T. BRITTENDEN,, NZPA correspondent London j It is to be hoped that the> New Zealand selection com-; mittee never again has the; easy task that it had yester-; day in naming its team for lhe tour’s first major match | igainst the D. H. Robins XL It the Saffrons — it had 1 pnly 11 players available. Graeme Thomson, Brendon| Bracewell and Dayle Hadlee ire all out because of injury{ ind Geoffrey Howarth was, earlier excused duty from this match on domestic[ erounds. A twelfth man has been | found. He is a South Island! journalist, Ken Nicholson,' who will be reporting the j match for a London-based; news agency. Nicholson! played for Riccarton in I Christchurch but most of hisj

(cricket has been in South-; land, where he was in a successful Hawke Cup team. i The team is: M. G. Bur-; gess (captain), R. W. Anderson, J. G. Wright, B. A. Edgar, J. M. Parker, G. N. [ Edwards, B. E. Congdon, B. [L. Cairns, R. J. Hadlee, J. M. ; Mclntyre, S. L. Boock. ' Two changes have been [made in the D. H. Robins team for the match and they ihave weakened the side’s attack. Willie Hogg (Lanca- ! shire) has withdrawn, anc so jhas Graham Stevenson. They are both able seam bowlers. They have been replaced bv David Thomas of Surrey, a left-hander of medium pace, and Kevin Cooper of 'Nottinghamshire, a right-arm fast-medium bowler. Cooper I;was brought into the Notts 11 side when Richard Hadlee [left the county to join the jNew Zealand team.