THE FIRST TEST MATCH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17661, 23 December 1920, Page 6

THE FIRST TEST MATCH.

The first real test of Australian cricket since the war has resulted in a very nattering verdict. In the match which ended at Sydney yesterday the English team was decisively beaten on its merits. The Australians had the luck of the toss, but on a wicket that wore true and was in no way damaged by weather this was but a slight advantage. It was, in point of fact, neutralised by the comparative failure of the Australian batsmen in their first innings, a failure which gave the initiative to the Englishmen.' They threw it away, and in so doing lost the match. Such opportunities do not recur in these stern contests, and the breakdown in the English batting suggests that the team is lacking in the best match temperament. The Englishmen have the makings of a great side, but there is a distinct tail to their batting and they lack a bowler of the highest class. Parkin is not a successor to Barnes, nor Waddington to Foster, and though the English slow and "medium pace bowling might be extremely formidable on a wicket affected by rain a hard-wicket bowler must be sought among the men who were in reserve for this match. The Australian bowling, on the contrary, was always dangerous, and the batting was not only more brilliant, but held the promise of greater consistency. The visitors, somewhat curiously, showed to greatest advantage in fielding, a department in which they were considered to be weak. The last English team to visit Australia lost the first match, but won the series. It may appear beyond the capacity of this team to repeat such a record, but its stout fight in its second innings is a pledge that it will try hard. Meanwhile, the result of the first test will be accepted as gratifying evidence that the standard of Australian cricket has been well maintained during the war.