CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 84, 26 August 1912, Page 4

CRICKET.

AUSTRALIA v. AN ENGLISH ELEVEN By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright Received 25, 0.0 p.m. London, August 24. Ihe Lngiisli eleven, to play against the Australians will be as follows.:— Bosanquet (Middlesex), Brearley (Lancashire), Evans (Hants), G. Foster (Worcestershire), Hutchings (Kent), Tufnell and Falcon (Cambridge), Rev. Raikes (Norfolk), and Thompson, Smith,, and Morris (Durham). SOUTH AFRICA v. LANCASHIRE. London, August 23. 111 the match between the South Africans and Lancashire stumps were drawn at noon, as the ground was flooded. Received 25, 5.5 p.m. London, August 24. The Lancashire match was abandoned after thirty hours' rain. Bowling analysis.—South Africa: First Innings: Hnddlefiton, none for 31; Fairclough, one. for 25; Heap, none for 10. AUSTRALIA v. SOUTH WALES.. Received 25, 5.5 p.m. London, August 24. match between the Australiansand South Wales has been abandoned owing to rain. THE POPULARITY OF THE GAME. T> ~ . London, August 23. lhe Pall Mall Gazette says the attendance at the matches was sufficient comment on the nonsensical idea that cricket is losing its popularity. THE LAST TEST. HILL'S COMMENTARY. Adelaide, August 24. Uem Hill says that 011 paper England was far the strongest team. For England to have ibeen beaten she must have had the worst of the wicket. Undoubtedly if the beet available team had been sent it would have had a really good chance. The English team was certainly no better than the one last here, The Australians were too weak in battina and depended throughout on four or five i" batsmen. As the wickets were dead they were against Foster's fast bowl- ' a nd he wag not half so dangerous j as he would have been in a fine summer.

AUSTRALIAN PRESS CRITICISM. Sydney, August 24. The Telegraph says that the expected happened as far as the testa were concerned. The Australians, with their best eleven, might have had a chance, but it was too much to expect that Gregory's men, some of whom lacked English experience, would beat th« cream of England on their home wickets. The South African team was disappointing throughout, and was not of class enough to put up decent games. It had been pretty conclusively demonstrated that finality in a three-days' match waa only possible when one side was hopelessly outplayed. It was apparent that Bardsley, Kelleway, and Macartney had to carry the rest of the eleven, so far as batting was concerned. The failure' was decidedly in the batting. The Herald says:—"To Australia's credit the winning of the triangular matches was uncertain till the last match. Had the spin of the coin favored Gregory the result might possibly, have been different. However, the victory was clear-cut, even if it was the only decisive contest of the three. The Australian batting except that of Bardsley, Kelleway, Macartney, and Jennings, broke down .badly in this match. The Africans, and in a lesser degree the Australians, had little experience of playing on the glue pitches which prevailed almost throughout th# summer, while the Englishmen had a great deal of such experience. In the circumstances the Australians performed very ably in only being defeated one® in the six tests.