Changes of Fortune Bring Added Interest

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26350, 3 January 1947, Page 5

Changes of Fortune Bring Added Interest

(By Neville Cardus, Special Correspondent) Rec. 0.10 a.m.) MELBOURNE, Jan. 2. The match is now in a fascinating-balance, for to-day both teams have rallied from positions of discomfort. Another great crowd watched play of excellent keenness, and always the state of affairs was that the fall of a wicket would be critical and consequential. ' " ... At the afternoon’s fall, the sun shone on the scene which was one of dignity and multitude, with history in the air. This was test cricket which was good to see and to savour. Again the weathercock of the match swung England’s way for a moment this morning and then changed delightfully or tantalismgly,, according to the point of view of partisans, but to the huge, satisfaction of all lovers of cricket.

In cool, fresh, weather, and little sun to begin with, but" a bright light, Edrich bowled the first ball, and from a spritely outswinger Tallon was caught at the wicket, breast-high, by Evans. No sign of a recovered cripple could be discerned in the terrific vitality of Edrich as he strove might and main to clinch the Australian first innings for good and all. The impetus of his run and swing over carried him well down the wicket; his direction was not often straight, and Evans performed prodigies of goal-keeping to save byes of much velocity. Yet Edrich tried violently, trusting as much to will-power and greatness of heart as to precision of aim; in fact he bowled like a blunderbus. Bedser, too, contributed a keen attack, although more accurate than Edrich’s, if less infused with animal spirits. He was unlucky to see McCool edge him precariously through the, slips twice in an over, bo.th from outswingers excellent in length and bounce from the turf. McCool’s score was only 30 when he was thus out, for anything he knew to the contrary, the moment he used his bat’s edge. Still, when. Bedser clean bowled Lindwall and Australia’s eighth wicket fell at 272, Hammond had reason to accept the gift horse without looking at all Into the mouth of it. McCool Excels Apparently nobody remained likely to stay in with McCool. Dooland and Toshack go to the wicket with bats in hand because custom insists, and there is no legal way of stopping them. To-day, though, Dooland put his bat to the ball with such a straight passiveness that only by some outrage to geometry could he have missed it. Meanwhile, McCool’s innings took shape and very quickly excelled everything witnessed. so far in the match for swift, clean stroke play and clever placing to get the main share of the attack.

He is a natural batsman; his hits seem to be born instantaneously on the face of the blade at the moment of impact. There is nothing manufactured about them. Frequently he resembles Bradman in his quick gathering of energy at the shoulders and forearms; at present he is occasionally inclined to bring his bat into action away from the line of the ball, but experience will teach him here. He drove Wright square and pulled him gigantically, both boundary blows, and in the same over by Wright a 3 to long-on was run amidst jubilant noises. Wright apparently failed to catch and bowl him one-handed, reaching forward when he was 44—possibly Wright could not recover his balance quickly enough. At lunch McCool was actually 85 and the total 332. The ninth-wicket stand had scored 61, in which Dooland’s 11 runs were as the steady bass fiddle support in a rippling allegro. Every time the batsmen politically ran a short and quite safe run the women in the crowjl, apparently the entire 40,000 of them, shrieked hysteria; their howls, as Mrs Gamp mysteriously remarked, were “ organs.” After lunch McCool reached his century to universal rejoicings and acclamation, few cricketers have deserved so thoroughly every roar and handclap on an uplifted concourse. It was an innings of skill coming to bloom in a young player of rare gifts. There was character as well as technique. and in his quick opportunism to profit by any straw that came Australia’s way in the dubious hour in which his innings was conceived no parsimony entered —nothing mean or ungallant. Well-deserved Applause He was undefeated at the end, and as he came from the field it was a pleasure to the sense and emotion alike to see a great old cricketer such as

Herbert Collins applauding with definitely glistening eyes. Dooland’s calm, not to say serene, resistance was worth a gold medal, and the reception given him when he returned to the pavilion was that which is usually reserved for centurions. Once, wore. did the English j innings run Immediately Into rock and shallow. Hutton followed a fast ball fronrHLjindwall, and his bat touched it as it was running away wide; a brilliant slip catch punished his folly. Such a stroke was regarded once as a blot on any Yorkshireman’s escutcheon; and It was attempted against a new ball at that. And so England’s first wicket was down before any -of us could say, “ Emmott Robinson.” Lindwall was quick rather than fast, and it was Miller that persuaded Edrich to sit down to avoid a bumper. Spin Bowlers Called On Bradman quickly called for his spin bowlers, and Toshack in his first over gave Washbrook a dreadful time; he nearly had him caught at the wicket

and came close to trapping him leg before. In Toshack’s next over another ball utterly confounded Washbrook, and when another appeal for leg before was rejected Toshack openly expressed consternation and disgust. The excellence of Toshack’s attack hereabouts frankly surprised me; he swung dangerously across from the leg or middle stumps with his arm, and now and then h£ caused a ball to straighten and even to nip to the off, always at a quite lively pace through the air and off the ground. ' Edrich decided to dash Toshack’s confidence, but when he drove him straight 'and powerfully for 4, Toshack still made a gesture of consternation and disgust. All the same, Toshack w;as unlucky. Edrich after tea slashed him over tha slips’ heads, suggesting momentary desperation, and, when 47. he was nearly caught at silly forward leg olf Toshack’s ball that swings across the pads. Then Edrich, by a full-blooded pull from Toshack, reached 50 m 83 minutes, with eight 4s alr , e£^j y credit, most of them full of the smack and flavour of S°°f wihow. comfortable wicket neither McCool nor Dooland’s spin seemed particularly upsetting, so gradually England s innings emerged from the straits to an open, if not flowing, sea. Washbrook was obliged to refrain from any vanity of stroke, though once he indulged in a square cut for 3 and occasionally between overs he flourished his bat as though restoring hicnvfmory; none the less, he served S ! s well and faithfully, and no doubt helped to assuage anxiety at Home.