CRICKET TOUR

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 51, 28 January 1938, Page 8

CRICKET TOUR

AUSTRALIAN SELECTIONS. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Biographical notes of the players selected by the Australian Cricket Committee to tour England this season are as follow : D. G. Bradman, the captain, is the most brilliant cricketer the game has known. In 10 short years he has broken almost every batting record. He holds the world record for the highest individual score with his 452 not out for New South Wales against Queensland 1 in 1930. Five scores of over 300 stand to his credit, and two of these were against England in Test matches in England—3o4 in, 1930 and 334 in 1934. In all, he has 25 double centuries standing to his credit, and holds the record for the highest aggregate scored by an Australian in first-class cricket. In addition to his brilliance as a batsman, Bradman, who is 30 years of age, is one of the most brilliant out fieldsmen in the game. Apart from his ability as a cricketer, the Australian captain has an outstanding personality, which makes him a born leader.

S. J. McCabe, the vice-captain, originated from the country districts of New South Wales, and “arrived” in big cricket in Australia in the same year as Bradman, 1928-29. A brilliant batsman, swerve bowler and smart fieldsman, McCabe has been a regular member of the Australian eleven for the past ten years. One of his best innings in a Test match was the 187 not out he made for Australia against England in the second Test match at Sydney in the 1932-33’ season. This was the season that Harold Larwood proved such a terror to Australian batsmen, but in tins innings McCabe flogged him and all the other English bowlers unmercifully. McCabe can swing the new ball cleverly, and has frequently been given a few overs at the commencement of Test matches. McCabe is in fine batting form this season, and he lias captained the New South Wales State eleven. For North Sydney this season, McCabe has scored 124 and 5, 163 and 165. J. H. Fingleton has proved a worthy successor to Woodfull and Ponsford as opening batsman for Australia. On the Australian team’s tour of South Africa he scored in Test matches 2, 36 not out, 62 40, 112, 108 and 118. Last season he opened the Tests against England at Brisbane with another century and thus became the only batsman to score a century in four consecutive Test matches. With Bradman, Fingleton put on 346 for the sixth wicket in the Test match against England at Melbourne last season W. J. O’Reilly is considered to be the best slow-medium bowler Australia has produced in modern times. A tall right-hander, he can both flight the ball in the air and spin it from both sides, and his changes of flight and pace are so subtle that batsmen have to watch him carefully all the time he is at the crease. English batsmen consider him as Public Enemy No. 1. O’Reilly has been the stock bowler for Australia‘in Test matches for the past two series and it has been largely due to his outstanding bowling that Australia has been able to retain The C. L. Badcock is a Tasmanian who settled in South Australia a few years ago. He first came into prominence bv his spirited batting against the M.C.v,. team in Tasmania, and since becoming a, member of the South Australian eleven he has performed so consistently with the bat that he won liis wav into the Australian eleven against G. O. Allen’s M.C.C. team and is now regarded as one of the finest batsmen in the Commonwealth. Stockilv built, the ex-Tasmanian has sound defence, but is not afraid to hit the hall hard and he scores a.t a good pace. Badcock is such a fine defensive batsman that he could well fill the position of opening batsman and may yet do so on the English ton:

L. O’i). Fleetwood-Smith has been described as a freak bowler. A lefthander, he defies all preconceived ideas by bowling off breaks, something after the style of R, O. Schwarz, the South African googly bowler. Against G. O. Allen’s M.C.C. team in the Test matches in Australia in the 1936-3/ season Fleetwood-Smith took 19 wickets for 463 runs, an average of 24.36. This bowler is probably the most unorthodox trundler who has ever operated in Test matches, not excepting B. J. Bosanquet, the English originator of the googly ball. Fleetwood-Smith bowls full-tosses and long-hops, but he turns the ball in such abnormal fashion that he gets the wickets. E. L. McCormick is the fastest bowler in Australia to-day. He is a hostile trundler who can make the ball lift, and the only doubt about him is whether he possesses sufficient stamina to stand the gruelling strain of fast bowling. McCormick started off in whirlwind fashion for Australia in the first Test match against England at Brisbane in the 1936-37 season. He had Worthington and Fagg caught behind the wickets by Oldfield and had Hammond dismissed first ball, Gregory catching the Gloucestershire star at short-leg. After securing three wickets for 26 runs off eight overs, McCormick had to leave the field owing to an attack of lumbago, and he was a passenger for the rest of the match, as lie did “not bowl in the second innings. In the second Test match McCormick took two for 79, and he was for the third Test. In th> fourth Test he captured two for 81 and two for 43. and in the fifth Test none for 54 and two for 33. He is a weak batsman. F. Ward was preferred to Grimmett in the Test series in Australia, in the 1936-37 season, in which he captured 11 wickets for 432 runs, an average of 39.27. His best work was done in the first Test match at Brisbane, in which be captured two for 138 and six for 102. He is a slow leg-break bowler.

A. G. Chipperfield originally came from Newcastle, where he came into the limelight with a century against D. R. Jardine’s M.C.C. team. Transferring to Sydney, he did so well that he gained a place in the Australian team which toured England in 1934. On that tour he scored 99 in one Test match and also did good service with his slow leg-breaks, besides proving himself a good slip field. In the Test matches against England in Australia in the 1936-37 season he played six innings for 155 runs, with a highest score of 57 not out, but failed to do any good with the ball, 136 runs being hit off him without his securing a wicket. He has proved himself a very handy man when runs and wickets are wanted.

B. Barnett is a wicketkeeper. He filled the position of reserve ’keeper in England in 1934 and also accompanied the Australian team to South Africa in the 1935-36 season. He is a sound batsman and hit up 83 not out for Victoria against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield match at Brisbane this month.

A. L. Hassett came into prominence during recent seasons by sterling batting performances, and was considered by many unlucky to have missed selection for the Australian team in the last Tests against Allen’s M.C.C. team.

M. Waite is a. utility player, being a more than useful bowler and a depend-

able batsman. He bowls a steady length outside the off stump, but the general opinion was that he lacked hostility. The opinion of the selectors, apparently, is that his howling may be suited to English conditions. This season he made 30 and 51 a.gainst Victoria, 52 not out, 16 and 58 against Queensland, and 3, 7 and 21 against New .South Wales.

E. S. White is another big fellow who can both bat and bowl. Big and strong, he is capable of sustained effort, and bis left-ha.nded bowling should be invaluable in England. He is usually very hard to score from, and his type are dangerous at Home. He is also quite a capable batsman. C. Walker will share the wicketkeeping responsibilities with Barnett. He is a sound bat also.

S. Barnes lias this season gained a reputation as an opening batsman for New South Wales. When set he is an aggressive player, but a recent ultracautious display it was thought might have prejudiced his chances of selection.

W. A. Brown, the Queensland and former New South Wales representative, lias been an opening Test batsman for several seasons and has made many good scores, but an unaccountable lapse of form resulted in his being dropped in some of the last series of Test matches against Allen’s M.C.C. team. A fine innings of 132 for Queensland against New South Wales this season brought his stocks up again.

The cabled announcement of the personnel of the team appears on page 7.