N.Z. Five Injured: Bilby Out, Bartlett Uncertain

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31006, 11 March 1966, Page 13

N.Z. Five Injured: Bilby Out, Bartlett Uncertain

(From R. T. Brittenden)

AUCKLAND. The New Zealand cricketers’ motel at Auckland, on the eve of the final test with England, was rather like a field hospital yesterday.

In the morning there were serious doubts about the availability of five of the New Zealand players. By the evening, it was established that G. P. Bilby would definitely not play, and that there were serious doubts about the fitness of G. A. Bartlett.

The other three—E. C. Petrie, R. C. Motz and V. Pollard—will play, although each will be handicapped to some extent by minor injury, Bilby underwent a minor operation on Wednesday and is unfit to take his place in the team. Bartlett was examined this morning by an orthopaedic specialist who diagnosed a strain of the adductor muscles from the pelvis. He suffered this injury in the Plunket Shield season and it was aggravated at Dunedin. Bartlett will undergo a fitness test an hour

before the match begins today. The news of the other casualties was better. Pollard has a bruised right thumb, but has been passed fit. Petrie, who split a finger of the right hand earlier J this season, had the ° wound reopened during his courageous second innings at Dunedin, when he batted with a glove soaked in blood. s Motz suffered a slight crack in a bone in the right hand o while at fielding practice n yesterday morning but t bowling tests later sugi- gested he will be inconr venienced very little.

i G. V. Giles, of Northern [Districts, has been asked to stand by for duty, and T. W. Jarvis, of Auckland, comes into the team to replace Bilby. In what the captain, M. J. K. Smith, has described as an all-out effort to win the test, England has included all its bowlers for today’s match. Those left out are the opening batsman, G. Boycott, and the wicket-keeper, J. T. Murray, who has an injured finger. The likely England batting order is: W. E. Russell, J. H Edrich, M. C. Cowdrey, P. H Parfitt, Smith, J. M. Parks. B. R. Knight, D. A. Allen, D. J. Brown, K. Higgs, I. J. Jones. The attack, consisting of Brown, Jones, Higgs, Knight and Allen, looks formidable but if New Zealand can win some early successes it may suggest that England’s batting list ends a little early. Drawing Comfort But it was as an opener that Edrich made 310 not out against New Zealand at Leeds last year. However, New Zealand has also a reflection from which to draw comfort If B. R. Taylor plays because of Bartlett’s injury it will re-establish the situation at Calcutta a year ago when Taylor played only because of Sinclair’s illness and set a world record by scoring a century and taking five wickets in his first test match. The New Zealanders practised on rather rough pitches yesterday morning, but the M.C.C. team did not arrive in Auckland until last evening. A few members of the side who came north in advance played golf or rested. The weather forecast promises two fine days for the start of the match.

W. INDIES TEAM

Three New To Tests (N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) KINGSTON (Jamaica). Three newcomers to international cricket are among the 17 players chosen for the West Indies cricket tour of England this year. They are the Jamaican fast bowler, Rudolph Cohen, and two Barbados players, the allrounder, Rawle Branker, and the spinner, David Holford. The party is:— G. Sobers (captain), C. Hunte, D. Allan, R. Branker, C. Griffith, W. Hall, D. Holford, S. Nurse, P. Lashley (Barbados), B. Butcher, R. Kanhai, J. Solomon, L. Gibbs (British Guiana), E. McMorris, J. Hendriks, R. Cohen (Jamaica) and J. Carew (Trinidad). Besides Cohen, Branker and Holford, two other players will be tonring England for the first time—Lashley and Hendriks. Both went to Australia on the 1960-61 tour. Cohen, a 6ft 24-year-old fast bowler, comes into the party in place of L. King, who had a cartilage operation a week ago.