Neither Side Can View Position With Confidence

Wanganui Chronicle, 26 December 1950, Page 6

Neither Side Can View Position With Confidence

MELBOURNE, Saturday (Recd. p p.m.).—The M.C.C. captain, Fred Brown, literally draggged his team by the “scruff of the neck” from the very brink of disaster. By lunch time five wickets had fallen for 54 runs and the Australian bowling was calling the tune just as sonorously as Bedser and Bailey had done on the first day. Brown commenced to bat immediately after the adjournment and during the two hours that he occupied the batting citadel scored 62 of the 99 runs collected in that period. He overcame his preliminary indecision—lverson worried him until he found that back foot defence was imperative, and Miller had him swishing abortively at off side balls—and attacked the bowling manfully. In one over from Johnson he collected the maximum toll allowed for any shot, with a mighty overdrive which landed amongst the crowd in front of the outer stand. He followed this tn the same over with a majestic off drive, which went through the field like lightning. |

(Special From W. J. O’Reilly)

Those two shots marked the turning of the tide. From then onward the bowlers lost their mastery and England were on the way back. Towards the end of his great performance Brown was going so confidently that he seemed certain to celebrate it with a century. But a momentary loss of concentration, as he stepped back to pull a shortish ball from Iverson had him hit a catch to Johnson. fielding at square leg. Whilst Brown was sending the score along Bailey wisely contented himself with presenting a straight bat loaded with concentration. In this he did a job which had seemed beyond most of his predecessors. Then came Evans the .‘fervescent keeper who finds it difficult to stand still long enough to take up a stance against the bowlers, crashed the bowling right and left. In scoring 49 runs at breakneck speed—a speed so unaccustomed in test cricket that it bordered on indecency—Evans gave a classic exhibition of aggressive strokesmaking. One memorable square drive off

Miller was hit with more power than most batsmen can manage to lay on ' to a hook shot. His batting was marred at times with exceedingly rash running between the wickets, but no one cavilled at these tilts he had with fortune. His innings represented the very best batting can give in the way of entertainment. BOWLING WAS GOOD All the Australian bowlers performed splendidly. Before lunch Miller, Lindwall and Iverson appeared likely to settle any hope England had of victory. Bowling at all his former speed. Miller was a constant source of danger. He swung the ball in disconcertingly and quite often lifted it from the pitch so quickly that no batsman met him with confidence. Iverson turned the ball either way, but more appreciably from the off. His disputed dismissal of Hutton was a big blow for England. His second wicket, Close’s, must have reprosented his best Christmas present. Close went for the usual wild scoop shot, a shot which he has made infamous, at a good length legside ball and hit the usual lofted catch to fine leg, standing back about 15 yards. Lirtdwalj bowled Bailev, breaking the restoration partnership with a beauty which swung in quickly to beat the bat. The fielding was much more impressive than it was in Brisbane. Archer and Harvey were grand in the outfield, and Miller and Hassett, in the close position, fielded exceedingly well. It seems likely that this test will develop along the same as the 1932 Melbourne test. It has already seesawed twice. Neither side can view the present position with confidence.