ENGLISH CRICKET TEAM

Taranaki Daily News, 5 September 1932, Page 9

ENGLISH CRICKET TEAM

BOSANQUET’S OPINIONS.

ALt should be batsmen.

The inclusion of E. ;Paynter, of Lancashire, in the 11.C.C. .tSain to visit Australia and New Zealand., in. the com*in<r season gives added strength to a side that already appeared id be very strong in batting. Whilfe the selection of bowlers for the tour was regarded generally as the most difficult problem With which those responsible, for the selection bi the team were; faced, there was a etrdng fteliflg in England that too much attention, could nob he given to the batting department, which, it was considered by some, should be filled to its utmost 'capacity. Those to offer opinions in this directiofi included the former England cricketer, B. J. T. Bosanquet. ... ■ “I hold that, in order to have any chance of Success, every man bn the side must be a batsman,” he feaid, in giving his considered opinion. “Our bowling is sb weak that We admittedly have no bowler likely to make Any impression ofi Bradman, Woodfull, and others. This

beiii" so, all but bowlers may be put on feii equality, fend one may be taken to be as gOOd fes an&ther. It has been definitely ptbyed in the past that fast bowlers , arfe bi little, use on Australian Wickets (except after rain); EVen Richardson Was not ah Outstanding success. Granted, =■ then, that Whatever bowlers WO send, the Australian batsmen aregbing to mfek® tUhs in the quantities tb Which V’O have grown accustomed, what is piir Ohly chance against them? Logically and obviously to make more runs thfen they do! This can Only be done by ensuring that every man bn the side is capable bf making 50. to 100 runs, and 18 likely to do eb on ffibre than on® OCcfesibn. “Let me digfete.for a moment. There is ample evidence from the. past to prove my contention. Take the side of which I Was a member iii 1905-4. Almost all the efitics voted it the weakest that had ever gone to. Australia. One or two more astute noted that it had no tail, and ventured io prophesy better results than anticipated. 6uf last fSur batsmen in the Test matches were Lilley, Arnold,

Relf (A. E.) and Rhodes. It was entirely due to the batting of these four (all of them capable of an average of 30 or so in county cricket) that we won the rubber.- Tfeke, again, Giiligati’s team. The only occasion on which they, came 'within measurable distance Of winning wits at Adelaide, where, with all the regular bowlers incapacitated (Woolley having to bear the brunt Of the bowling) they only failed- by 12 runs to win!This Wfes entirely due to the fact that for this- match' the side, possessed no tail' (Stfiidwick had been left. out for Whyßall, Who performed valiantly).Surely these two cases prove toy point. “Now then,-whom can we send? Jafdine, Sutcliffe, Duleepsinhji, Hammond and Ames fef® certainties. We cah afford one more batsman, the Nawab of PataUdi (who should be about the most, successful batsm'an we have ever sent to Australia, fend who might Well partr. ner. Sutcliffe if Jardine is averse to doifig aO). Th® rest must be batsmen-, bowlers, felfeted from such aS “he fol-, lowing: Robins, Langridge (Jas.),“del on, Townsettd,'Jupp, Staples (A.), O’Connor

G. 0. Allen (if birth no obstacle) and F. R. Brown (Who . seems to . have become & sufficiently- good .batsman). ! “I would be prepared to back the following side (in. batting order): . Sutcliffe, Pataudi, Hammond,. _ Jardine,. Duleepsinhji, Ames,Tddon, Robins, Langrid"e, Brown, Townsend. The last five gould go in any order, but a sound batsman must go in 'last, and tho Mtteis Should be separated. Would you like to bowl against this side’ There are others, of coursfe, such as White, and one might almost stretch a point and include Voce. Such a side would, in my opinion, have every chance of. success. One thing is definite: Arnes must play, and I not Duckworth. I have for yeais opposed the playing of a who cannot bat in Teat matches With weak bowlers we cannot afford it, and the 1930 Test match at the Oval proved that even the best wicketkeeper can bse a match. If only his batting were a little stronger, I would like to see Chapman go; his presence and fielding, make him equal to a bowler. Anyhow, good luck to them all.