MAILEY’S REVIEW

Evening Star, Issue 25928, 21 October 1946, Page 8

MAILEY’S REVIEW

WATT A TEST PROSPECT ENGLISH ATTACK NEGATIVE SLOW BOWLERS NEEDED (Written by Arthur Mailey for the ‘Star.’) (By Air Mail.) PERTH, October 18. The most enthusiastic supporter of English bowling would have felt embarrassed had he seen Pollard, JBedser, and Langridge attack Johnson ; ■ and Watt on Friday before lunch. These ) bowlers were completely quelled) and unable to make the least impression on the batsmen. There seemed*'to be nothing wrong with the length or direction of the attack. It simply appeared to be the steady,'good length, and-negative bowling-which plays batsmen in. With the score at five wickets for 350,‘ and all the regular bowlers completely subdued, the services of Denis Compton might have been requisitioned. Compton is a useful lefthand bowler, and is almost regarded as a stock bowler for Middlesex; 1 am not suggesting that he would have crashed through the combined batsmen, but since the stock bowlers appeared to be so unlikely to effect a Compton, I feel, could not; have' disgraced tne attack. ■ Great minds think alike. The score is npw 265, and Denis Compton 'has been called to the bowling : crease. Watt edged his first ball into the slips; but there being nobody in the' slips, Compton lost the wicket; A touch of humour was introduced at this time when Ikin, in a loud North voice, appealed for lbw. A barracker answered: “ Why don’t you umpire your own bowling, Ikih; you’d get fem all out then.”; ■ , After batting for (four hours,. David Watt was run out for 157. It was rather a disappointing end to a jfine innings. Early in ■ his effort he'gave a couple of chances, but later, and particularly this morning, he batted solidly- and with confidence. After

edging: one*into the slips yesterday, he made a terrific 6wipe at a good-length ball from,. Bedser,. and luckily scraped it. away.' From , a batsman who had been playing so well this . was .so peculiar that I asked him at the lunch interval why he made it. He .said: “ I was so disgusted with the previous stroke that I thought I’d had it and lost all concentration.” _■ “ Later, however,”- he continued, “ lan Johnson told me not to go mad, I settled down to get as many runs as T could.” , ■ ■ His father-in-law, named Gregg, offered him a pound for every run over 100.' / / WATT’S FINE PERFORMANCE. Watt scored 10 s’s, and his; partnership with Johnson was responsible for 217 runs \V att is a tallish, ■ goodlooking accountant .with fair hair; ■keen blue eyes, and a very good sense of humour. Before this match, test match selection was as distant as the planet Venus, but' now he’d -be- very surprised if he was picked to play in the. test; but he. added: “ I 'don’t - mind . being surprised occasionally.” One can only compare Watt’s performances here, 85 and 157, to a similar performance by .an . Eastern State player. If the latter scored over 240 in consecutive Innings there would be little doubt about his inclusion in the test team. While I am not yet con- ~ vinced about Puckett, I think, the Australian selectors should seriously consider Watt, if not for a test, certainly for the Australian match in Melbourne in November. Watt plays shots all round the wicket, has a very good defence, and' is particularly aggressive against bowling which is inclined to be loose. Being about 26 years of age, he has plenty of cricket ahead of him. Johnson’s; runs were made in three hours and: 20 minutes. .By ordinary standards this appears to be almost funereal, but the English attack; although never .hostile, yvas never loose. Bedser and Pollard, particularly, seldom sent down a loose ball. They usually adopt the English custom of howling on a spot just short of a good length. Their pace thus prevents batsmen jumping down the pitch and making the ball a half volley. Johnson was always considered a useful batsman, but his performance in this match puts him in a much higher category JOHNSON’S FINISHED INNINGS. Of all the combined team’s batsmen I would rank Johnson’s innings.;as the most finished, and, although be. was not as adventurous as Barnes, the fact that he bit nine, 4’s and one .6 suggests that he wasn’t completely immobile. The combined team’s innings ended at 3.15.