CRICKET.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 November 1924, Page 2

CRICKET.

lUHTBALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION (Deceived this day at 9.2 d a.in.) SYDNEY. November IS. The “Sydney .Morning Herald's’’ ic preventative in .Melbourne sounds a warning note icgariling the Australian plantin' nf mvering tin* wickets, lie says tlie "ain and its resultant iollncm i' upon the gam • have fie n outstanding features in the Adelaide and Melbourne matches. It L will known that special rkill is Ic<| n i tc-< 1 by both batsmen ami bowlers in order to get the lust results on a rain spoilt wicket Owing to our hr a! custom of protecting tin.* pitches throughout the intcr-State contests keeping them hard and fast and favourable to batsmen, our players have had little opportunity in recent years of developing wet wicket skill. Old cricketers frequently warned them the time might come when our ciickel might he .seriously lmndicaj pod in consequence. This season may see tlic-o forebodings put to the test a.s the English players arc used to playing on nun-covered patches. To some extent this was illustrated in the Adelaide match. On a wicket es]ieci;dly in its favour the South Australian twirling fell a long way short of making the must of itis capabilities. The Englishmen on the other hand, though not enjoying the conditions, wore quite at home and rose superior to them. The same may be said of the early stages of the Victorian match. All this seems to indicate that wet weather conditions for the tests would greatly enhance the prospects of England.