ENGLAND’S TEST CHANGES

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 July 1938, Page 7

ENGLAND’S TEST CHANGES

NEW POSSIBLES ANNOUNCED FARNES DROPPED [by CABLE —PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.] (Recd. July 4, j.d.30 a.m-.). LONDON, July 3. England’s team for the third cricket Test against Australia at Manchester, will be chosen from the following:—Hammond, Gibb, Verity, Hutton, Smailes, Paynter, Compton, Edrich, Nichols, Wright, Hardstaff, Barnett, and Goddard. Sir P. F. Warner states that Hammond is making splendid progress, and is certain to play. Hammond is 1 still undergoing treatment for his injured leg. The Test team composition of thirteen suggests that cither Hardstaff or Edrich will be twelfth man, and one bowler will be dropped. Gibb, replacing Ames as wicketkeeper’. is bespectacled and aged 24. A Cambridge University man, he is 1 a splendid bat. The choice of Nichols is surprising. He has been in’ and out of Test teams so many years, that his re-inclusion at the age of 37 suggests the committee despairs of younger talent. T. Goddard, who is also 37, is presumably included to keep down the runs. Fames, who bowled to the point of exhaustion' in the first and second Tests, must be considered unfortunate to have been dropped. LATER. . The Test team is more criticised than the others. Critics regret the dropping of Fames. Nichols is eleventh in the bowling averages, eighty-one wickets 19/35. Smailes is sixteenth, fifty-five 20/89. Goddard and Wright do not appear in the averages.

YORKSHIRE v. AUSTRALIANS LONDON, July 2. The ground at Sheffield for the match between Yorkshire and the Australians was saturated by a thunderstorm yesterday, and the start was delayed till 11.45 o’clock. The weather was cloudy and the wicket was sticky. The attendance was 35,000. Yorkshire won the toss and sent Australia in. The bowlers found difficulty in obtaining a foothold. Fingleton was uneasy, and he escaped a legbefore appeal at fine leg in the second over. The wicket quickly cut up. Fingleton eventually succumbed to Smailes. in the latter’s second over. Bradman, when 12. made a bad stroke and the ball dropped just short of second slip. The bad conditions kept the batsmen on tenterhooks. Badcock was unhappy during his short stay at the crease, Smailes. bowling off-springers, round the wicket, kept the batsmen on the defensive. Bradman livened up with the arrival of Verity, and he reached 27 in an hour. He batted splendidly under the adverse conditions, placing with; the utmost skill. He .had a narrow escape after lunch, but he continued to force the pace, and showed delightful footwork. Hassett also played Verity well, but when 43 he narrowly escaped being caught. He reached 50 in lip) minutes. Then he commenced to hit Wit brilliantly. He secured fours and sixes freely, but he went out at 94. leg before. in attempting a pull. The Australian innings occupied 215 minutes and produced 222 runs. When Yorkshire were in, Sutcliffe had to retire ’at 12. when a ball from White popped up unexpectedly and struck him on the right hand. Waite, howling slow off-swingers, was successful, after a few overs, and having Hutton caught at fine leg. Waite was bowling remarkably- well, and took advantage of the wicket.. Yorkshire’s main concern appeared to be to hang on in the hope of a better wicket on Monday. Scores: —

AUSTRALIA —First Innings. Fingleton, b Smailes .. .. .. 2 McCabe, c Smailes. b Bowes .. ■ ■ 13 Bradman, stpd. Wood, b Smailes 59 Badcock. c Turner, b Robinson.. 11 Hassett, lbw., b Verity 94 Barnes, c Wood, I) Leyland .. ■ ■ 10 Waite, lbw., b Smailes 2 Barnett, c Robinson, b Smailes . - 12 White, c Sutcliffe, b Smailes .. 1 McCormick, c Leyland, b Smailes 9 Fleetwood-Smith, not out . • • • 4 Extras Total • ■ ■; 222 Bowling: Bowes 1 for 15: Smailes 6 for 92, Verity 1 for 69, Robinson 1 for 39, Leyland 1 for. 2. YORKSHIRE—First Innings Sutcliffe, retired hurt I 2 Hutton, c McCormick, b Waite .. < Barber, b Waite • • 2 Leyland, lbw., b Waite 1“ Turner, not out Smailes, not out ° Extras Total for 3 wickets ....... 7’4 OXFORD V. CAMBRIDGE. LONDON, July 2. In the University cricket match. Oxford scored 317. Dixon made 73, Lomas 94. Hewan took 6 for 91. Cambridge lost 1 for 18. LEADING PLAYERS. (Received July 4, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 3. English cricket averages are: — Batting: Hammond 1724 runs, average 52.09, Edrich 1367—68.35, Dempster 912—65.14, Paynter 1329 —63.28, Hutton 1091 —60.61. Gibbs 1090—60.55, Geary 544—60.44, Thompson 797 — 56.92, Compton 1135 —56.75, Valentine <344—53.66, Ames 732—52.28, Hardstaff (fifteenth) 617 —47.46. Bowling: Bowes 48. wickets —11.91, Leyland 33 —16.63, Woodhead 31 — 16.35, Butler 39—16.61, Mayer 49— 16.61, Verity 77—17.10, Pollard 91— 17.38, Clay 33—18.51.