CRICKET.

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14767, 5 October 1921, Page 9

CRICKET.

BATSMEN AND BtG SCORES. IS CRICKET SPOII,T BY THE "GOOGLY.” People arc wondering why so many largo scores are being made in county cricket, and why these scorers of over 2UU arc not representing their country against Australia ■,writes A. C. MacLarCn in the Sunday Express;. in many cases runs have been given batsmen by bad length howling, although we have some excellent. haUimm stilt. ft. to ns who arc capable or making a century against high-class bowling I meni, for instance, has always been a sood player, and rhindham, hy his very correctness, gave great promise, which he has amply fulfilled. We have, abundant proof of correct players ' holding their Own year after year, and of those players accomplishing something great when pitted against the very best. If the beadpiece is all right this type is never outclassed. and after once gelling bis place in a big side be generally keeps it. A. W. Carr, who has joined the band of those scoring 200 or over tin on innings, has, i fancy, hit Gregory in the past at Cord's in a way we should hlnto have seen him treated hi the Test. Unfortunately, it is just what we have not heen seeing, and anyone who has done it, and shows that he is m form to-day should not he lightly pass'd over in the very lean year. »,o far as rent uney a rr eoneerned a tain-i Australia. A certaua amount of oolii-

ness on the part of our batsmen is very necessary against two bowlers who carry ail before them, and v»' have yet to wait for a batsman to come forward to attempt the forcing game and sec if these fast bowlers will remain unruffled if they are hit with any measure of success. Where we miss it in county cricket to-day is the absence of head work, since "the batsmen have not lo wail long before they get a goodly number of bad length balls, which are promptly despatched for fours. Bowlers who rely for wickets upon their length and spin alone seem to think that it, is a hopeless task to to try to get wickets when the pitch is hard and true. This causes a lack of perseverance, resulting in overdoses of googlies and swervers of indifferent length. The googly merchant, in my opinion, is responsible for almost everything that is bad in our cricket to-day. Batsmen have got into a way of facing round as they step back from Ihe ball of doubtful spin, nol knowing which way it is going to break, instead of going down Ihe pitch and smothering the good-length one. There is an air of over-carefulness on the part of many batsmen when up against moderate bowling on good wickets, and they play as if there was a week instead of three days, to finish the game. It is the most difficult thing imaginable to gel back one's hitting after losing it. It. appears to mc to-day that Ihis getting back on one's wicket to (he googly has caused batsmen to gel sack on their wickets to other howlers when (bey should have gone forward fo drive: ' This causes thorn to lose their hiding, as (heir games with <hc Australians have told us is (he case. Balance. Fast bowlers can be hit if a batsman will be a bit quicker than when hitting a medium-paced bowler, but there is too much walking about on the part of many batsmen to-day to be properly balanced and positioned for the good, old straight drive. One or two things'only should he done in all stay-at-home strokes —the right leg to be brought back, when Ihc strokes should be made with the weight on the leg, o r the left foot advanced up to the bat with the right remaining firm for the forward drive. To-day one sees the right leg brought back and the batsman then play forward owing to the ball being pitched well up, consequently there is no power in the stroke because Hie weight was originally taken away instead of having been thrown into the stroke right away. The 'Varsities to-day arc playing better cricket Ih'an the counties because they are satisfied to play cricketing strokes, and because they play for the sport of the thing. One- cannot blame a professional cricketer for not losing sight of the. fact that the game is his business, and with a preponderance of professionals the. game cannot he so lively as with a majority or amateurs.

I should very much like to sec a return of the old order of things—more length howling accompanied by more perseverance, and batsmen given fewer runs than is Ihc case to-day. This would necessitate more hitting on the part of batsmen when bowlers were bowling a consistent good length. Our fielding, too, is nothing like so good as it should be, but this is an easy matter to rectify.