A DEBACLE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 117, 20 May 1931, Page 9

A DEBACLE

BOWLERS IN CLOVER

(By "Not Out.")

New Zealand's cricket stocks have advanced considerably as a result of fbc sensational victory over the M.C.C. side at Lord's yesterday. Even taking the bad state of the .wicket into account, the performance in dismissing such a strong side twieo in the one day was a wonderful one, and-, it should serve to croato greater interest than ever in New Zealand's bid for a higher ranking in. the cricket world.- There have been previous occasions when New .Zealand has demonstrated that it has , the bowlers to take advantage of a bad wicket. Followers of the game in Wellington'';will liave a vivid recollection of the manner in which a strong Australian team, including a number of the members o£ the last Australian team to visit England, was forced, to scratch for runs on the Basin Reserve. The big thing, of course, is to see ,to it that the opposing side is forced into the position of having this unenviable experience, and there can be no doubt that New Zoaland is exceedingly fortunate in having as its captain a man who is almost uncanny in calling the right way when tho coin is tossed, and who knows how to take full advantago of circumstances such as thoso experienced in tho match which ended at Lord's yesterday. It was suggested in yesterday's notes tliati

unless there "was a sensational collapso on : tho part'"of tho M.C.C. team, that

the match'would be drawn, and mention was made that Blunt was expectod to do well with.the ball when the wickets suited him. The sensational collapse, amounting to a debacle in. the second innings, (took place, and Blunt had a hand in causing tho route. Merritt, however, had a : real field day, and Cromb also played a conspicuous part in starting the procession. The experience goes to show that wet weather might not be so bad for New Zealand after all, that is, so long as Lowry's luck remains good. The side is well supplied with bowlers '■ for the class of wicket on which yesterday's play took place, but the attack has still to be put to tho test on really good wiekots. So far, however, the touring side is

malting1 an excellent showing all round, and its engagements arc working out very well as preliminaries to the Test

iln to-day's cabled reports of the 'county cricket matches one result of particular interest at the moment is Worcestershire's defeat of Lancashire.

New Zealand commences its match with Worcestershire to-day, and, as was indicated in yesterday's notes, tho tourists are likely to be up against a better bowling side than has been the case with this cdunty, for some time. Peiics and Boot were on the job with the ball against Lancashire, and were mainly instrumental "in bringing about the downfall of last year's,champions.

With regard to the strength of the M.C.C. team against New Zealand, it is questionable whether it required only two amateurs':to make it the strongest amateur side that England can place in the field. There wore quite a number of very fine amateur players (including Diileepsinhji, Wyatt, Peebles and Allen, who represented England in last'year's Tests with Australia) not included in the team against Now Zealand. ,