CRICKET TACTICS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21578, 24 August 1933, Page 6

CRICKET TACTICS

D. R. JARDINE'S BOOK FINAL TEST CONTEST TEAM'S SIGH OF RELIEF; BY D. It. .TAIIDINE (Copyricht) • No. xvi r. 'As stated in mv previous article Australia in the fifth test match scored 435 in their first innings, easily their best total for this series. Before the close of play on the second day England replied with 159 for 2. Opening tho innings with Sutcliffe, I was early the recipient of a life in the slips, but after making 18, with the total at 31, I was out, for the third time in this 6eries, caught at the wicket on the leg side; a brilliant piece of work by Oldfield, who during the match proved conclusively that he was in his best form with the gloves as with the bat. Hammond onco again proved his liking for the Sydney ground, and though be did not start'any too convincingly, once he had got going gave all the bowlers scant ground for jhopo. Sutcliffe was playing like tho tired man I feel sure he was. (Sometimes I feci inclined to think, that Sutcliffe rather enjoys appearing to be in difficulties; he so 6eldom fails to surmount them.) Shortly before the close of play he fell to a good catch by Richardson off O'Reilly. On this occasion I made what turned out to be a truly fortunate decision. With very few minutes left for play I, sent in Larwood to bat. Quito apart from Larwood's undoubted abilities as a batsman, I was very largely guided in this by his outstanding bowling in tho first innings. (*reat as were his triumphs throughout this tour, he had never stood out, to my mind, with head and shoulders quite so far above his colleagues as he had done in this last of the series of test mutches. It seemed to me imperative that"'if, ho was to give of his best in the second innings as a bowler he must have every chance of a good rest. , ,/A Useful Partnership The morning of the third day saw Larwood and Hammond raise tho total from 153 (159 overnight) to 245. All gc©d things must come to an end, and .iinmediately after passing the century mark Hammond was lbw to Lee —a useful first wicket for anyone playing his first test match against England! -"We all hoped that Larwood would crown his wonderful bowling feats with attest century, but after lunch, with Kfe score at 98, he did not quite get hold of one from Lee, and had the mortification of seeing Ironmonger make a ldt of ground and hold quite a good catch at mid-on. It was a grand innings in every way, and quite*a number of Australians in spite of what they had said and written and done, were, I think, genuinely disappointed that Larwood did not get those last two runs. The play closed with the total at 418 far -eight, Allen being not out for a well-played 25. It looked as if the match, after an innings apiece, would b&< very open, a great deal depending ojx how the wicket wore. ; On the fourth day, Verity and Voce remained long enough with Allen for h'im to raise Tiis score from 25 to _ 48 by excellent cricket, and our innings closed for 454; a bare lead of 19 runs. *©nce again Australia was to fail remarkably in -the second innings. Richardson joined the band of unfortunate cricketers who have made a pair of spectacles in a test match, for in Larwood's first over he was out to a good catch at square-leg by Allen off Larwood's bowling. Bradman Struck by Ball , One wicket for no runs, There folloired the only stand of the innings, between Woodfull and Bradman, which raised the score to 115. Bradman started in'much the same manner as he had done innings; stepping away from his wickets arid' carving Larwood to the off-side. It was midway through his innings that Bradman was hit, for the first and only time in all the innings which hp played,against us in Australia. He was struck on the arm by a ball about six inches outside the leg stump, which he was endeavouring to play in the direction of cover-point. It was not a serious blow, and had no effect on his brftting. „Larwood .was obviously going lame at this tim£ Hi? foot was causing him great pain, and with his retirement to the pavilion we were faced with an anxious period. Bradman continued almost to monopolise the scoriag, with Woodfull quietly holding the other end, collecting ones and twos every now and then. With Bradman's dismissal, a . landslide in the Australian batting took place, Woodfull could find no one to stay, and Voce, feeling no doubts that the-mantle of his disabled county colleague had fallen on his shoulders, dismissed O'Brien and McCabe for nine runs. Margin ol Eight Wickets. Tn his last spell from this end, Verity took four wickets for fewer than 20 runs, his total figures being five for 33 in 19 overs, nine of which were maidens. On the fifth morning, Wyatt and Hammond, by faultless cricket, raised the score, from 43, at which both tho first and second wickets had fallen, to 168, which left us victors by the big margin of eight wickets. For the second time tho winning hit was a six, Hammond hitting Lee over mid-off, a hit with the force of a brassie shot which might well havo raised envy in the breast of an open golf champion. Perhaps Hammond was unlucky in not having tho chanco of making a second century, but nearly as much credit is due to Wyatt, who, though never scoring slowly, cast himself for the part of junior partner and played as well and steadily as he can ever have done. I am sure that we all heaved a sigh of relief as tho match was won. Besides giving us the decisive margin of four to one, this our latest win made the tally between England and Australia in finished test matches equal at 51 wins apiece. ■ . (Conclusion)