WEAK BOWLING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVI, Issue 21244, 14 January 1939, Page 12

WEAK BOWLING

Position in Australia DISQUIETING FACT A disquieting fact that has been emphasised by the cricket so far played this season is that Australia’s bowling is deplorably weak. We knew this before the season began, of course, but the play so far this season has made it even more evident, writes E. H. M. Balllie in the Melbourne “Globe.” It has become more apparent than ever that Victoria’s attack is dreadfully dependent upon Fleetwood-Smith. He alone has looked like the bowler to take wickets for us. McCormick has not shown anything like his old form, his bowling lacking the fire that he was able to put into it formerly. He has not shown the same pace, and, consequently, he lacks the deadly nip from the wicket that made him a bowler liable to bring about a sudden collapse of the batting. Sievers has never been a great bowler on hard, fast wickets, although he is of the type that should do well on wickets that give him any help. And there is no one else in our Shield side who can be regarded as a stock bowler of class. In the circumstances, FleetwoodSmith looks the only man likely to play a real bowler’s part, and nothing seems more certain than that he is going to be dreadfully overworked. Fortunately, he is a bowler who can do the job in this respect, but, no matter who the bowler is, he cannot be expected to retain his effectiveness if he is so greatly over-worked. Bill O’Reilly looks like being in the same position in the New South Wales team. This State, which once provided most of the great bowlers for the. Test games, has indeed fallen on evil days. Apart from O’Reilly, she has not now one bowler who looks like a real Test possibility. She has hopes that Murphy, her new fast bowler, will make good, but he has yet to prove himself. White’s absolute lack of success in England seems to rule him out as a Test bowler—in any case, he is of the type who can keep runs down on good Australian wickets, but not obtain striking successes unless the wicket helps him. Marvel of the Game South Australia may or may not have a fairly good bowling side—it all depends on how Grimmett shapes. At his age we cannot expect him to be the bowler he was, but he is one of the marvels of the game, and may continue

to be the bugbear of batsmen who do not like spin. In his case, however, it may now be largely a case of an old head triumphing over the disabilities imposed by the years. Ward, no doubt, will gain his usual haul of wickets, but he is not the type of bowler who can be regarded as a terror to batsmen. Waite, of course, will be there as a steadying influence, but unless he has improved greatly as a result of his English tour, he will not put much fear into the hearts of batsmen. At the moment, the Queensland attack looks about the best of the lot. This has been brought about by the appearance of two new bowrers in Christ and Ellis, who have begun their careers in a most promising way, and v ho are backed up by a good bowler in the experienced Cook. Christ, a tall left-hander, is one of the perfect length type of slow to medium pace spinners who will never be easy to score from, for his length and his ability to spin the ball away from the bat will always make the batsmen careful against him. One hopes that he will not develop into a mere mechanical bowler, as so many of his type are, for if he can master the arts of flight and spin control with his fine length, he is sure to be a success. From the Queensland point of view, and perhaps from that of Australia, the match against Victoria revealed nothing more pleasing than the fast bowling of J. Ellis, a junior player at the start of the season, he made a fine debut in his game by taking five for 104, and bowling with sustained pace, with much fire in his deliveries. One performance, of course, does not stamp him as a real bowler, but Ellis looked good in this game. So far as Victoria is concerned, the prospects do not look too bright in regard to new bowlers. So far as one can see, the only bowlers who might improve the attack are Barry Scott (fast), Thorn (medium-pace offspinner), and Ring (slow to medium legspinner) , but there is no certainty that they would do so. There is a suggestion since his appearance in the M.C.C. Centenary match that an effort should be made to induce Lisle Nagel to return to the Victorian team. Should this be possible, there is no doubt that he would strengthen the attack, for he is the best bowler of hjs type that we have. He would be a great help to FleetwoodSmith if he could find it possible to play.