A GOOD SIDE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20219, 1 February 1934, Page 9

A GOOD SIDE.

Much Harder Task for Englishmen. AUSTRALIAN SELECTION. Australians should not have much to cavil at in the selection of the sixteen players to tour England this season in an attempt to regain the cricket Ashes won from them after such a bitter struggle last year. Players of the type of Richardson, Fingleton, Nitscke and Rigg (all of whom will be seen in New Zealand) have had to give way to bowlers and all-rounders, and when the eleven is finally picked to meet the full strength of England it should be a much better balanced side than that which went down against Larwood, Hammond and company in the last series. Form on the play in the Sheffield Shield series and the benefit matches has been largely borne in mind by the selectors, fielding has evidently been carefully weighed, and due consideration given to the probability of altered form on the different bowling conditions that English wickets offer. With-

out being on the spot, it is hard to enter into any controversy on the filling of the last few places, but without labouring details it is possible to say even at this distance that the selection has been done with the greatest capability. The Leadership. Woodfull, Ponsford, Kippax and Oldfield are the representatives of the old brigade. It is good to see that Woodfull, that fine sportsman and keen, intelligent captain, will again be at the head of the side. His batting appears to be as solid as ever,, and it is probable that the side will benefit from his reliability as an opening batsman as well as by his proved leadership. Ponsford is apparently in good form again. He has had ample experience on English wickets, and it is probable that this tour will see him reproduce some of that magnificent form that made him the star performer before Bradman eclipsed everyone else? New Zealanders who have seen Kippax at work retain happy memories of him as a forceful stylist of the best type. The news that he had made a complete return to form this season, with high scores in the Shield matches, excellently compiled, made him regarded in this country as a certainty for the tour, and he may be one of the regular test match batsmen in England. Oldfield is as good as ever behind the stumps, and his experience has turned him into a batsman who has made good scores in tests and is likely to repeat them under ajiy circumstances. The Great Bradman. Then, of course, there is the great Bradman. Without annoying controversy to bother him, and in perfectly good health and free from staleness, Bradman will probably score almost if not quite as well as he did when Australia won the Ashes on their last English tour. Though he failed to some extent against the fast leg theory attack of the Englishmen in the last, series (and in saying he failed at all it must still be b<#ne in mind that the statement is entirely comparative, and that he headed the Australian batting averages nevertheless), there is not the slightest reason to suggest that he i%ight not come off in England. With the exception of Hammond, there is not a batsman in the world anywhere near his class. Darling is a reliable batsman, and then, of course, M’Cabe, who has not been prominent in recent news on account of an operation, has developed till he can be expected with confidefifee to be an able second to Bradman when runs are wanted in large quantities. Sound Bowlers. Of bowlers pure and" simple, Wall, a consistent, if not a brilliant, speed merchant, Grimmett, whose failure on Australian wickets last season against the Englishmen does not prejudice his chances under English conditions, O’Reilly, one of the finest exponents of control that Australia has seen for some years, who should do jeven better on English wickets than he has done in Australia for the last two seasons, Fleetwood-Smith, the off-spin lefthander, and Ebeling, make a sound contingent. Ebeling is a good batsman and a fine field, and may almost be rated as an all-rounder. He sends down a medium-fast ball, is exceedingly accurate, and under favourable conditions “does a bit ” both on the pitch and in the air. He should have a lot of work to do with the ball on the tour, and if he strikes top form will stiffen up the attack considerably. Younger Members. Three players who have battled their way into the team, and have youth on their side, will attract a great amount of attention on the English tour and should do well. They are Bromley, Brown and Chipperfield. Bromley is a splendid batsman, a really remarkable outfield, and a left-hand bowler of the Macartney type who should develop to the point of taking useful wickets. New Zealanders who have returned recently from Australia have always mentioned him in their cricketing impressions. The youngster Brown is stated to be a growing Bradman, and growing fast. He literally played himself into the side with performances that could not possibly be overlooked, finishing the first-class matches with 637 runs at an average of 63.7, second only to Bradman and Kippax. Chipperfield is a useful bowler, batted well against the Englishmen at Newcastle last year, and is the best slip field in Australia, bar none. He is a good type of all-rounder, with his batting a distinct possibility for the tour. Barnett,. the second wicketkeeper, has his batting to recommend him. He is a left-hander, which gives him added value. Age, apparently, militated against the chances of Ironmonger, who has bowled finely, Oxenham, and to a lesser degree Hornibrook. Experience and Reliability. The batting has a solid layer of ex-

perience and reliability, and the younger contingent endow it with brilliant possibilities. The bowling, on English wickets, may develop into a very sound combination, and the number of all-rounders is such that the side as a whole should be a much more even and solid proposition than the Englishmen faced last tour. England will be very strong; but while this Australian side may not recover the Ashes (the chances should be about even) it is likely that this Test series will be one of the most interesting'of recent years.