CRICKET.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 447, 13 March 1912, Page 6

CRICKET.

Mr J. W. H. T. Douglas, captain of England in "The Ashes" matches: "The prospects of the Australian team that is going to England? Jolly good! You wait and see." Dr L. 0. S. Poidevin in the Sydney Morning Herald:—"A team of interesting possibilities, youthful, enthusiastic to a degree, and likely to give practical exemplification to the old maxim that "unity is strength." Obviously the prospects of success depend to a large extent upon the opposition. Against the counties the team should give an excellent account of itself. In its representative engagements anything might happen. On Australian form it has nothing to fear from South Africa; but then, I fancy, the African bowling will be relatively helped move than ours by Engilsh conditions. It all depends on how our batsmen "come off." Some considerable time ago, before the present season was commenced, when under the impreassu.n that our team to Engalnd would be made up rather differently than it is, 1 ventured to predict that England would surely beat us at home in 1912. Now, however, I would like to modify that opinion somewhat lay suggesting that, paradoxical though it may seem, she ought still to beat us; but, on the other hand, our own chances of success are, to my view, brighter than before or than 1 expected them to be. It is young Australia in the field, and in figbtirg for "the ashes" it will be strong in this, that it has something to gain and very little to lose. Such teams are very dangerous. Have we not had a striking illustration in this season's M.C.C. team? It has been suggested that the team will not draw ; that the tour will result in financial failure. In my opinion, that is an entirely wrong impression. Custom stales, even as regards the personnel of cricket teams; and the English public, if I mistake not, having long since had a surfeit of the old "champagne" thrust upon it, will gladly welcome and approve the opportunity of sampling the "new vintage." Naturally a good deal will depend on their early successes; but, in any case, they are sure to be a big draw, if only because they are "the 'Orstralians.