ALLEN AS CAPTAIN.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 340, 22 January 1937, Page 2

ALLEN AS CAPTAIN.

WIDE CRITICISM. Not Considered Position For Fast Bowler. Various critics, and among them Ne. ville Cardus, whose views are always worth more than a passing thought, are taking the view that Allen should not lead England because he Is a fast bowler. Is there anything In. this view? asks an Australian critic, A. G. Moyes, ot Sydney. Australia has never yet been led by a man of pace, and seldom, indeed, bj a bowler. M. A. Noble was, of course, an allrounder, and he is generally recognised as one of the greatest captains of all time. Maybe, of course, he was tlie exception to the unwritten rule that says that, if possible, a bowler should not lead. Then, too, there was Warwick Armstrong, who bowled and batted and did each on a scale in proportion with his-bulk. England has had one fast bowler captain in pre-war years in Arthur Gilligan and another bowler captain in Douglas, who, according to riport, was not always judicious in the way | in which he used himself at the I crease. He, of course, could swing the ball about, and there was a certain amount ot friction when he, as captain, used the new ball when the mighty Barnes was in the side. As far as Australia is concerned, bowler-captains have not done any harm, and have not committed such deadly sins against the principles of good captaincy as to make us settle down to a hard-and-fast rule. Yet, there is always a feeling that, if possible, a bowler should not ba placed in a situation in which he is forced to decide when he shall bowl, how long he shall bowl, and when he shall be taken off. We are, perhaps, not always the best judge of our own ability, and it we are to concentrate on bowling, we cannot give full attention to the thoughtful consideration of the opposing batsmen, which provides a guide to tactics to be used to confound them. There is, however, another aspect. The man to lead the side must be of sufficient skill to be able to hold is place without worry, and with no eally outstanding amateurs awaitng the call, England has been orced to give it to Allen.