IN COMPLETE CONTROL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26782, 27 May 1948, Page 5

IN COMPLETE CONTROL

AUSTRALIANS’ MATCH WITH M.C.C. REAL STRENGTH INDICATED Rec. 8 p.m. LONDON, May 26. Commenting on the M.C.C. defeat,' the cricket writer of The Times says the Australians in all departments of the game gave the impression of being an even stronger team than their earlier successes against the county sides suggested. They were in complete charge of the game from the moment they won the toss. One wondered what was the value of some of the mountainous scores which have been made by Compton and Edrich in the county games. Altogether it was not an encouraging match for the selectors watching. Don Bradman said after the match: “I am very satisfied with the 'performances so far. I cannot recall any team having done better.” It was the seventh innings victory of the tour and the eighth successive outright win. M.C.C.’s 205 in the second innings was the only score exceeding 200 against the Australians since the first match at Worcester. England's star batsmen, Compton and Edrich. affectionately known at Lords as the - “Middlesex marvels,” almost inexplicably failed in each innings. Compton showed flashes of true batsmanship, but he went out to a good ball in each innings. Hutton was again the only regulaV England batsman to deal confidently with the bowling. The rest of the batsmen provided little opposition, lan Johnson and McCool routing them on an easy pitch. Nine M.C.C. wickets fell for 178 runs in less than three hours ” to-day. 1 Mr Arthur Mailey, writing for the , Sydney Daily Telegraph, says nerves worried the English players. All the

batsmen were jittery against the Australian fast attack in spite of the fact that Miller and Lindwall were relatively unsuccessful. It was obvious that the batsmen were not used to a double-ended battery of fast bowlers. Mr Mailey says that unless the Englishmen show better form against the fast bowling their chances of winning the tests are small, particularly if warmer weather brings faster pitches. Of course, the chances will be more equal if England wins the toss. The Australians’ bowling figures against the M.C.C. were:—Lindwall, one fcrr 24; Miller, one for 37: Toshack. one for 43; Barnes, none for 15; I. Johnson, three for 37; McCool, four for 35.