AUSTRALIA HAS GREAT CHANCE

Chronicle (Levin), 2 December 1946, Page 5

AUSTRALIA HAS GREAT CHANCE

N.Z. Press Assn.)

W. J.

O'Reilly)

(Snecial to

(By

Received Monday, 10 a.m. BRISBANE, Dec. 2. I feel quite sure that Australia nas a great chance of fqrcing a victory. A lot will depend on the ,pinners, McCool and rribe. If they oowl well, Australia should win iairly comfortably. England 's object will be to save .he garne by making a draw o.f it. England had improved. its p.osition er, perhaps made it less forlorn, by ;he tea adjournment. The dismissals of Hassett and Miller, fof.owing quickly upon each other, .liust have brought about a sudden (all in . the. th.ea-raometer's * readin g Jor the tired Englishmen. Even if .he remaining batsmen are disposed jf quickly, England will be faced with a terrific task to score suffi:ient runs to counter-balance their disadvantage in taking last use of .he wicket. Bradman did not occupy the stage for long, but he showed few signs of weariness from Friday's effort and he certainly did not repeat those early indiscretions in his batting. He was bowled by a good length ball from Bill Edrich, it which he had played defensively. The ball may have come back quickly off the pitch, and it hit the middle and off stumps. It came at a time when people in the crowd were perusing cricket records to nnd out just how many runs Len Hutton had made in his world's record test score. Bradman's cen.ury — the first in Test cricket since 1938 — is a neat compliment to a man whose name and records have aecome part of the game's tradinon. Lindsay Hassett ( batted. as i'f- 'he' lad not quite forgotteh the "last Test match in which he played — ;he Oval, London, in 1938, his solidity and obstinacy in refusing to oe tempted into some ill-considered attempt at scoring from balls not directly in line with. the wicket were peculiarly reminiscent of the innings played by Hutton, Hardstaff Leyland and Wood, amongst ithers, in that great cricket debacle. England scored 900 runs ar more. If Hassett had set out to return the compliment, he must have been delighted to find condi:ions parallel to those which England enjoyed in that match; a wicket devoid of life and an oppoiition consisting of three bowlers

mly. Even though I sympathise with the three musketeers, aided and abetted by Bill Edrich, I certainly experienced some feeling of saturnine pleasure in watching the rompiiment being returned- by one who, taking a smart catch in the lovers, had helped me dismiss Len Hutton with his total at the world ■ecord level of 364. A ' section of the spectators was .nclined to barrack Hassett at ;imes when he allowed many "off .he wicket" deliveries from Bed>er, Voce and Edrich to pass by aarmlessly. This is only the fourth Test ever to have been played in Brisbane. Perhaps that explains ;he reason why those people who '.mplored Hassett to .throw his innings away knew so little a,bout .he game as it is expected to be played in England versus Australia matqhes. Keith Miller arrived at the crease^ at a time when the AusL.ralian total needed some pepping up, and he i_mme,diately accepted hat responsibility. "He gave a delightful exhibition, empjoying every scoring shp,t in the game,. His off and cover driving were reminiscent of McCabe in his. mgst enter - taining moo,d. Miller is qctuaffy playing in his first Test, but his Australian services team reputation had prepared the Brisbane crowd

rto see a fully equipped and experienced batsman. His 79 runs were an invaiuabjle contribuhon. 'He played so well that I thought it a pity that he did not attain the dis cinction of a century in his firsi Test. Wright secured his wicket after he had worried Jiim several times in the same over. The McCool and Johnson partnership evaporated any remaining hope there 'was for an English victory. They pressed home the advantage which the preceding batsmen and the heat of the sun had prepared for them. Johnson wisely ran quick . singles wherever possible to give his quicker scoring partner the strike. Colin McCool played an excellent innings — with a well placed hook and back cut working reasona,bly well, he set about the bowling with enthusiasm, playing just the type of innings that the state of the game demanded. He has outstanding claims at the moment to be classe'd as the world's best all-rounder. The English bowlers, Alex Bedser, Bill Voce, Douglas Wright and Biii Edrich deserve the highesc praise for their unflagging loyalty (.0 their task. Each put everything he had into his job over after ovei throughout a long and tiring exp,erience of bowling througn several days of a Brisbane Test. 1 can fuliy appreciate the price the bowlers have tp pay. I was glad that when Hassett's wicket fell. Bedser was the man to'get it. He had bpwlpd extraordinarily well on Friday morning and was unluckj not to have h^d two or perhaps •.hree wickets in that first session. Bill Voce bowled unluckily late in the day. Taking the third new ball of the match, he bowled really well to Miller,' and. had him in no little di^pulty.; . Latpr, 'iMpCool hooked him" Just Out- of redch of Edrich at wide mid-on. There admore soc;er players in tfiis side than in any other English cricket team I have seen. Hutton, Washbrook and Compton ar.e inclined to overdo the footwork in stopping the ball when chey are mpving at full speed. It is a dangerous practice, which Hammond shpuld, eliminate as far as possible from his team's put cricket. If one of these leading batsmen should happen to. stand on the ball. the consequences would be disastrous for the tea,m's Test prospects. Denis Compton fell very heavily yesterday whpn he lost his balance. maihi g the blocking movement with his foot ends.