A MEMORABLE TEST

Evening Post, Issue 25, 30 January 1935, Page 10

A MEMORABLE TEST

Captain-control and umpire-con-trol of bowling that captain or umpire considers to be unreasonably dangerous to the batsman underwent a further trial in the second M.C.C.West Indies Test, which Indies won. On Saturday, according to the cablegrams, the Indies captain, Grant, "took off Constantine when the latter bowled short pitch bumpers." This seems to have been a simple case of captain-control, and the same remark applies to the insistence of the English captain, Wyatt, on a change of methods by the English bowler Smith. Later, when M.C.C. batsmen were fighting for their lives, an umpire took the initiative and spoke to Grant after Constantine had "bowled short bumpers, two of which went over Ames's head." I Grant then took Constantine off; the crowd yelled for him; later 'Constantine came back. The report does not suggest that Constantine, on coming back, bowled anything to which either captain or umpire took exception. We have recapitulated these details, because each of them is

important if what happened in this Test is to be standard in cricket. Things seem to be approaching the point when a bowler may be (1) ordered by captain to bowl differently, or (2) taken off by captain for time being or for whole match. Compare this with warnings in Rugby. Much depends on co-opera-tion of umpires and captains. The new order is testing itself by actual experiment. And it is too early to prophesy about it. One thing is clear—Constantine came back to such effect that he beat Leyland (one of the world's best fighting batsmen) when another half-minute would have taken M.C.C. into the sanctuary of the time-bell.