THE THIRD TEST

Evening Star, Issue 23000, 4 July 1938, Page 9

THE THIRD TEST

ENGLAND'S THIRTEEN HAMMOND CERTAIN TO PLAY LONDON, July 3. (Received July 4, at 10 a.m.) England’s team for the third cricket test against Australia at Manchester will be chosen from the following thirteen : Hammond, captain (Gloucestershire). Gibb (Cambridge University). Verity (Yorkshire). Hutton (Yorkshire). Smailes (Yorkshire). Paynter (Lancashire). Compton (Middlesex). Edrich (Middlesex). Nichols (Essex). Wright (Kent). Hardstaff (Nottinghamshire). Barnett (Gloucestershire). Goddard (Gloucestershire). Sir Pelham Warner states that Hammond is making splendid progress, and is certain to play. He is still undergoing treatment for his injured leg. The composition of the 13 suggests that either Hardstaff or Edrich wilt be twelfth man, and that one bowler will be dropped. Gibb is replacing Ames as wicketkeeper. He is a bespectacled player, 1 aged 24. The Cambridge University man is a splendid bat. The choice of Nichols is surprising. He has been in and out of test teams for so many years that his reinclusion at the age of 37 suggests that the committee despairs of the younger talent. Goddard, who is also 37 years of age, is presumably included to keep down runs. Fames, who was bowled to the point of exhaustion in the first and second tests, must be considered unfortunate to have been dropped. The test team has been more criticised than any of the others. The critics regret the dropping of Fames. Nichols is eleventh in the bowling, with 81 wickets for an average of 19.35, and Smailes is sixteenth, with 65 wickets, average 20.89. Goddard and Wright do not appear in the averages.