CRICKET COMMENTATORS ARE JUST SO. WHAT!

Chronicle (Levin), 2 April 1947, Page 6

CRICKET COMMENTATORS ARE JUST SO. WHAT!

; w — Crickets. •&' great game. A...gaine of distinct possibilities.. Some day, someone, somehow, will do something right. But the 'game's not perfected yet. Don't take our word for it. Listen to the " experts who tell you the how, ' the why, the what, and the where, over the air. Nearly every flannelled international still extant tells what 's wrong and why.. TJheir t knowledge is amazing. They sense disastef, defeat/victory and ' what have 'you, in every ball that 's bowled. • ; Every time a batsman hits the ball in tlieair it'sa " clxance". ; • Even though - the ball falls 50 yards wide of the nearest fleldsman, it would have been just too bad liad one been there. He'd have been out— perhaps. What do you think, Egbert? Yes, quite, quite, .risky to lift the ball, yes, definitely. Oh!, A mighty , hi't. A six. Yes, it's over the fence. Oh, great shot, don't you think so, Algy? Yes, glorious, but risky. It miglit have fallen short, you know. Nice skot — but risky — rather. If the batsinen paste the bowling, the bowling 's tripe, the wieket won 't take spin, it's a batsman 's paradise. Don't you think so, Algy? • Oh, yes,l| quite, quite, ratlieri If the wickets fall the batting's weak, stroke play's weak, not footwork.

Amateflrish shot, don't you think so, Basil? Sure, sure, erossbat should have gone forward. Suicide. Weak shot, don't you think, Egbert? Yes, very weak, very weak. (Ilepetition is their tool of trade). Oh! An appeal. Thought lxe snicked that, didn't-you, Algy? I did, yes, 1 did. "Not out!" the umpire says, "Not out". That was a iueky escape. (The fact that Ihe conunentator is sitting 100 yards away rneans nothing. Although the batsman didn't toueli the ball it's still a lucky escapo). Of course, we're not ji the best position lxere to judge (actually they 'ro not in position to give any judgment at all) but that ball did seem to tuni and shoot otf the edge of the bat. There '11 always be a doubt about that one, Egbert. Quite, rather! (Really caJled for a photo finish). Call tliat' an honcst mistake — yes, an honest mistake. Umpires are only liumaii (not experts, of course), after " all. Trouble is there have been too many honest mistakes already this tour — don't you think so, Charles? Yes, yes, 3 do, definitely, ratiier! I And so the game goes on, with the I experts of other days playing grander games, skittliug wickets in a grand grandstand di^plav better than tliey ever gave on the field. Of course, chey're paid for their vie ws — Rather !