EYES ON THE OVAL
The fate of the Ashes having been decided already by the, victory which Australia won so gallantly in the* fourth Test at Leeds, Australia and England will enter on the fifth and final Test, to commence at the historic Oval in London today, in a lighter and more carefree spirit than would have been possible had the Ashes still been an issue. The element of tension inevitably associated with a Test does not always make for bright cricket, even when a time limit of four days is imposed, but in the present series there has been some degree of brightness and a large degree of excitement. For a time it appeared that the bat had triumphed definitely over the ball, but in the fourth Test, the only one of the time-limit matches played to a finish, the bowlers had their revenge, and, in a game marked by exceptionally low scoring, Australia, thanks very largely to the "spinners," O'Reilly and Fleetvvood-Smith, came / out on top. The victory by five wickets gave Australia the Ashes and robbed the fifth. Test, tho only one of the series not limited to four days, of at least some of its interest. But cricket is cricket, and the fact that the resting place of the Ashes has been decided until the representatives of the two great cricketing countries next meet in Australia will not prevent thousands from flocking to the Oval today and on succeeding days nor many more thousands from taking a lively interest in proceedings "as from a distance." Whether the fact that the Ashes are not at stake will make for brightness and enterprise remains to be seen, but the opportunity is certainly • provided for a display of cricket at its best. The Australians will also have an excellent chance of proving to the administrators of the game in England that Test matches played without a time limit can be amply justified. If they can do this, they will have performed a double mission in retaining the Ashes and breaking down one element of English conservatism.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 44, 20 August 1938, Page 8
Word Count
347
EYES ON THE OVAL
Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 44, 20 August 1938, Page 8
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