IF TOSS IS WON

Chronicle (Levin), 14 March 1946, Page 6

IF TOSS IS WON

VIEWS OF ENGLISH CRICKET AUTHORITIES SHOULD A SIDE BAT FIRST? After the-keen debate that took place at Carisbrook during the deeiding Plunket Shield match on the action of the Otago captain in putting Canterbury in to bat, it is-interesting to look up the authorities on this subject of putting the other side in. " Here is the view of A. G. Steed, one of the great English cricketers of the eighties: — ' ' There is perhaps only one reason to justify a captain putting tlie other 'side in first. If the ground, previously hard, has been softened by a night's rain, and if at the time of beginning it is drying under a hot, baking sun, and if the captain is tolerably sure that it is going to be a fine day, then he will do well to put the other side in. ' ' There must be present these tliree conditions of ground and weather beiore he is justi'lied in refusing to bat. fhe ground will then for an liour or two make a bowling wicket. The top, sof t tn the early moming, and gradually getting caked undei the hot sun, will in the afternoon, if the weather keeps tine, and if it has been hard before the rain, assume its former hardness and leconie easy for batting for the last Lew kours of the day's play. Eiiect of Rain. "If the ground has been soft before he rain and has been made still softer jy tlie rain, it is madness to put the jther side in. The iirst two or tliree uours will be easy for batting, as a very iluw wicket is always against the bowljrs, and it will not be till after several uours of hot sun have been on it that it vill get caked and difficult for "tlie batsmen. ' ' buppose the weather looks uncerain and broken, and the glass has been ,radually going down, a captain should icver, in any state of the ground, risk mttiug his opponents in. Rain is al.vavs in t'avour of the in side; bowlers annot stand and cannol hold the bait .liieh, Avet and slippery, cannot be made to take any twist or screw that ue bowler may try to give it." There is no dispute that rain had .leliniteiy made the Carisbrook wicket i batsnian's wicket when the teams iOok the field at the opening of the first lay 's play. "First Knock Safest" Another authority, who has the sup,/ort of the English test captain, A. E. i. Cilligan, sajs: "it would be possible o write screeds on the subject of when o tane Iirst innings, but it all resolves uself iuto this: Always take 'first .vnock' unless the wicket is bad and here is fair prospect of it improving ct'ter a few hours. " When a wicicet is soft on top (viz., t hard wicket subjected to a downpour .vhich has soaked it for a few iuches; .t may pos.-sibly pay to put the other ude in iirst, because the side which iats Iirst may very well lose some valuable wickets before the ground beonies easy to bat on. " On tlie other liand, two good meri uav see it througlq in which ciiSe tllby .vill have acquired for their side the great advantage of having first and rhird innings. "When a wicket is reaily sodden, the :aptain's choice of innings should be .ased partly on the reputation which : lic particular grouud has for recover- : .ng quickiy or slowly, and partly on 1 .he piobable weather. In any case, the; ground will be oue of three things; Three Conditions. "1. It may remain wet and sodden,; in which case it is a very difficult .vicket to soore on, because the'ball will uot tra\ei, but it is a very easy wicket ' lO liat 011, and tlie captain should take first knock. "2. It may dry slowly and equally. 1 While doiug so it wili favour neither : nide, for tliough the bovVlers can make ' the ball break quite a lot, it will do its j .vork too slowly to beat the batsmen. j Jn the other hand, batsmen will not be I ible to get the ball away because the i ground will be too dead. The captain j ffiould clecide to bat first because more i rain may render run-getting harder j Jian ever, or briglit sunshine may make .he ground more treacherous. "o. It niav dry very fast and become sticky and cake — a perfect gluepot. It is then very difficult — someinies unplayable. If this condition is not likely to last too long, it will pay to put tlie others in first in the hopes i jf getting them out before the wicket recovers. " The conclusion is that oue should always take first ilmings unless a wet wicket, drying under a hot sun, is sticky and is likely to remain so only long enough to enable oue' to dismiss a good part, if not the whoie, of the batting side.

A Classic Instanee. The third Test of 1929, played al Eeeds, was remarkabie for a first innings score of 494 by Australia after the English captain, A. W. Oarr,. had won the toss and put them in. This is a lassic case of "putting the other fel hnv in. " Echoes from tlie resulting discord have been lieard ever since. Oue conuuent at the ti'me in the Daily Express, read: "The public want to know wliether in sending the Australians in to bat at Leeds.the captain oi England was exercising his unfettered judgment or was carrying out a policy dictated by the Selection Committee. In this natural curiosity there is nothi ng oi scapegoat hunting. " If Mr. Carr made a personal error )f judgment, he will not forfeit public confidence on that account, for no man van be a leader without rnaking mistakes. If there was outside interf'erenee, even if it went no further than .miphatic "advice, " that would be strongly resented. The captain of a team is like the eommander-in-chief in the field. - His eommand must be supreme and independeut. " Bad iuck pursued Carr in this match. for the blame, justly or unjustly, feil on hira for the misfortunes of England. After England had got rid of Bardsley

for a duck in this.flrst innings knock Macartney put up a simple chance in the slips and Carr let it slip through his hands. ' After that let-off, Macartney merrilv proceeded to score a hundred before lunch, a feat only previously ' accomplished in. a Test match by Yictor / Trumper. This Avas the last time Carr captained England.