WRIGHT IN FORM

Evening Star, Issue 26041, 4 March 1947, Page 3

WRIGHT IN FORM

SOME NASTY JOLTS FOR AUSTRALIAN BATSMEN BARNES'S BRILLIANT INNINGS (By W. J. O’Reilly, N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent.! SYDNEY, March 3. The English bowlers Wright and Bedser gave Australia some nasty jolts yesterday afternoon. Wright, bowling as well, probably, as he has ever bowled, had'every batsman defending dourly to keep him out. The wicket was giving juSt that little assistance in spin that makes a bowler of his me-dium-slow ; pace extrepiely dangerous. He maintained an excellent length, and attacked the stumps continually. . It was Bedser’s job to close up the other end as economically as he could. He did this by averaging two runs only scored from each of 1(5 overs, and

Captured ' two wickets. Between the two of them they have given Australia’s confidence a real shaking. It is not likely that the wicket will be less favourable for Wright in the second innings. It took less than an hour to finish off the remaining English batsmen, who carried on without the help of Len Hutton. Lindwall added two more wickets tq* liis Friday’s tally, finishing off with 7 pickets for 63 runs , - -

He bowled Evans with his best ball of the innings, and knocked Smith’s wicket down with a yorker which the batsman had tried to drive. Evans played some bril-

liant shot from Tribe, driving him , through the covers and past point, and just as he was showing plenty of appreciation of, if little respect for, the bowling, he came face to face with a beautiful ball which went away from him very late and hit the off stump. ' It was tough luck for Evans that Lindwall had saved up such a beauty for his undoing. LINDWALL’S SEVEN WICKETS. Lindwall put up a magnificent bowling effort. Not only did lie bowl with plenty of pace, but he also made a great showiug in point of determination and stamina. Seven wickets in a test innings rarely happen even in a slow bowler’s career.

The eighth wicked could have been his, but Bradman wiseiy decided to rest him. The extra wicket, even though it would have given him the honour of being the

only Australian fast bowler ever to take eight wickets in a test innings, was not worth the risk of

breaking him down. He was tired, and his left leg had been troubling him since early in the innings. Bradman did the right thing when he gave the ball to Miller to finish off the English innings. THE WICKET’S RECOVERY. The wicket had dried out conydetely. On Saturday afternoon it'was under water. It w'as indeed fortunate for Australia that Sunday’s sunshine and drying wind had restored-it almost to its original condition. There was a thick crop of grass pushing its way through the surface on the Paddington end of the pitch. Yardlev, hoping that some vestige. of moisture might still re-

main in the black soil, refrained from using a roller at all, and did not order the grass to be cut. Had any moisture still remained, the chances, were that serious damage would be done before Bradman would have the opportunity of using a roller. However, Lindwall did not make any noticeable mark's on the wicket at the Randwick end, and Tribe, bowling on to the grass plot at the Paddington end. did not get a wicket.

■When Bradman used the heavy roller the pitch rolled out slow aiid easy.

Sid Barnes batted playing every shot in the game.' His previous stodginess and limited range of strokes, elements entirely foreign from his natural game, played no,part in to-day’s display. He moved forward to his shots with confidence, clipping the ball with ail his wristy power through the, off-side field, and stepped inside the occasional short-pitched ball and sent it crashing against the leg boundary.

This is the type of game that has given Barnes the great reputation lie has as one of our best batsmen. His pleasure and relief at seeing the ball go swiftly and surely from the middle of his hat was plain to see.

Morris was much more subdued than usual.' He found difficulty in getting Wright away through the field, but nevertheless', he played quite soundly. Bedser, changing over to -bowl from

the Randwick end after the afternoon tea session, accounted for both the Australian openers in quick time.

BRADMAN’S DOWNFALL. Bradman did not get a start. He arrived at the wicket to find Wright spinning his leg break sharply, and .flighting the ball disconcertingly into a fairly stiff. breeze. He had no adequate counter for Wright. He played forward, then back, but the ball seldom met the middle of his bat. The end came when he made a wild, desperate swing at. a straight full toss and failed to make contact.

With Bradman making the third Australian loss before 150 were scored, the large crowd were watching the first instance of Australian batsmen struggling for their very lives to keep England out. Miller took just on 20 minutes to score his first run, and when it came lie ran for it as if it were either the one to make his hundred or a hasty retreat from an embarrassing situation. • Both he and Hassett paid Wright more respect than any Australian bowler has commanded throughout the series, even on the “ sticky ” wicket at Brisbane

If Wright and Bedser continue to bowl as they did yesterday our batsmen will find it hard to make sufficient runs to counterbalance the advantage England obtained by winning the toss,