The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1926. AN ATTACK OF CRICKET “NERVES” IN FLEET STREET

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12425, 20 April 1926, Page 6

The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1926. AN ATTACK OF CRICKET “NERVES” IN FLEET STREET

For some weeks past Old England has been working itself into excitability over the visit of the Australian Eleven. As soon as the side was announced, Hobbs, Warner, and other famous and downright fellows rushed, or were rushed, into print to say what they thought of the selection.

Now that the team has actually arrived, hysteria itself has broken loose. The babel, even at this distance, is almost deafening, and njost certainly amusing. The Australians are being “lionised ’ as never before. Metaphorically, the kangaroo has seated himself on Nelson’s Column—or should it be the pathetic Albert Memorial?—and all-day and all-night crowds are gaping at the animal. Is Jack Gregory the demon he was on the last trip? Will Grimmett repeat his sweeping Test match successes when he unwinds at Lord’s and elsewhere? Has the “Governor-General” retained his form with bat and ball? Who will be England’s “express”? England’s captain? Beside such burning questions even big politics fade into insignificance. Germany may conclude a Treaty with Moscow, but a boil on Collins’s arm will get the bolder headlines. Mr Baldwin still has the coal problem to overcome, but “See Mr Smith!” (the Australians manager) is the slogan which has captured Fleet Street, the clubs, and th^market-places. The appointed and jfelf-appointed experts are making an unearthly din. Stung into very frenzy by the correspondents with the Australians, the Home prophets have assaulted the empyrean with *•j* r °P' n i ons - Tremendously dignified and austere editors have added their thunder to the welter of noise. Most of them profess confidence in England’s ability to stem the Australians’ march, but here and there one detects a catch in the throat. And here \and there, too,, one hears the wise men whistling to keep up their courage. All of which leads us to say that England is suffering an acute attack of cricket “nerves.” On the last tour, Gregory and McDonald fairly routed the flower of England on their own ground. It was an assault and battery which fairly stunned the nation, and one which has not yet been forgottep. There is no McDonald in the 1926 eleven; even so, the analytical observer would be prepared to lay a shade of odds on the Australians. If Tate is the Tate he was with Gilligan, and if Macaulay proves himself a really classy fast bowler, England’s chances of recapturmg the Ashes will be notably improved. Her batsmen are good enough; her fielding is slightly the superior. But on paper, at least, the visitors carry the more powerful battery. It is additionaly m their favour that every man from Collins to Grimmett is likely to get runs against bowling from which the devil has been extracted.

The Australian, tail” resembles the kangaroo’s in strength, weight, and aggressiveness. It hah been known to wag’ the whole body and flatten buoyant hopes level with the turf. Can Tate curb its exuberance in this series? We can only “wait and see.”