Strange case of Boock abandoning a sunken ship

Press, 10 January 1981, Page 12

Strange case of Boock abandoning a sunken ship

By

R T. BRITTENDEN

With his withdrawal from the Australian tour, Stephen Boock has written one of the strangest chapter in the story of New Zealand cricket. He came home, it was reported, because he was not getting enough cricket on tour, and so wished to play first-class games with Otago and thus prepare himself for candidature for the New Zealand team to meet India next month. Boock’s disappointment is understandable. He was an established test player when the tour began, but he has lost his test place to John Bracewell. There were only two first-class matches before the tests began, and Boock played in both of them. He also appeared in the third of the one-day internationals with Australia. Otherwise, it has been a long wait between games. Boock bowled in only two

minor matches In addition to the games mentioned. That, however, is not the point. It has been a tradition for New Zealand teams overseas to run into individual and collective troubles, because the sides have been under constant pressure. There has never been .an easy tour for a

New team, a fact - which might sometimes be/ remembered when New Zealanders’ test performances are considered. New Zealand is nearly always playing stronger opposition. It has also been a tradition for New Zealand touring players to stick together,, drawn closer” by adversity and difficulties. Boock’s decision is very hard to understand. His departure left the side with

only one spinner; injury to Bracewell would leave it with none.

Boock is most enthusiastic about his cricket, as dedicated a player as there is. He has a cheerful, likeable personality. But he has broken new ground by leaving a team on tour. Others have had similar-

disappointments: re-?* ference was made in these 1 ?, columns recently to the ( selflessness of Barry Mil'- J? burn when Ken Wadsworth ;' took over from him as the? top wicket-keeper during a tour of England, India , and Pakistan. It was a strange decision Boock made. Almost strange was the decision of the New Zealand Board of Control to let him return home.