MERRITT’S VIEW.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 456, 18 May 1932, Page 7

MERRITT’S VIEW.

England’s Chance in Coming Tests. EXPECTS HEAVY SCORING. English papers to hand to-day include an article by W. E. Merritt, the New Zealander, on England’s chances in the coming tests against Australia. The article is of particular interest as Merritt has played against most of the players mentioned, and the M.C.C. team, after its engagements in Australia, will visit New Zealand. Merritt, who is now playing for Rishton in Lancashire League cricket, offers opinions as to England’s needs for the tour. “ Has England a fighting chance of bringing back the ‘Ashes' from Australia? I think she has, though it must be admitted that the Bradman problem will take a great deal of solving,” writes Merritt in the “ News-Chronicle." “My first suggestion is that England cannot afford to send a team to Australia that does not include Tate.

He was easily the greatest lengthbowler the New Zealand side encountered, and he can do things with the ball that it is impossible to pick. Like most great bowlers, including Freeman and Parker, Tate does not try everything in two overs. He accustoms the bats-

man to the orthodox ball and then lets slip the unorthodox one. All these three great bowlers are not afraid to send the ball well up to the batsman. If he can play back, a batsman has time to get his eye in. Playing forward, he tries for a single, and while trying for a single he sometimes thinks that he might as well go for a four. That is where the chance of a mistake comes in. “ Larwood Selects Himself.” “It is a curious thing that while finger spin has practically gone right out, yet the men who get the most wickets—Grimmett, Ironmonger, Freeman, Parker—are not frightened to throw the ball up and spin it as hard as they can. Larwood selects himself as England’s fast bowler. If he can recapture his last season’s pace he will get a lot of wickets in Australia. F. R. Brown is a good bowler and would, I think, succeed on Australian wickets. I am more doubtful about Peebles, Verity, and Vote. One left-hander must go, and perhaps it will be Verity. “ The batting will be very strong, with Sutcliffe, Hammond, Duleepsinhji, Jardine, Ames, and probably Bakewell, if he has a good season here. G. O. Allen is the second best fast bowler in the country, and he will probably be invited to go, since he is a highly capable all-rounder. With Duckworth as second wicket-keeper (Ames gaining preference for his batting) there are net many weak places in a team like this. It may be a case of very heavy scoring on both sides, as I should not rank Australia’s second-best bowler as better than, say Verity.”