CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 June 1921, Page 3

CRICKET.

ENGLISH-AUSTRALIAN AVERAGES. AUSTRALIANS AT THE TOP. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received June 20, 5.5 p.m. London, June 20. Bardsley heads the combined English and Australian batting averages with 69.04. Macartney is eighth with 50.77. Armstrong is the leading bowler with forty wickets for 12.27. McDonald is fifth with sixty-one wickets for 14.93, and Gregory eighth with forty-seven wickets for 16.21. MACLAREN’S TRIBUTE. TO AUSTRALIAN SPIRIT. London, June 19. Maclaren, in f,he Sunday Express, says:— “These boys from Australia are the best of good sportsmen and play only one way, the fairest. I recall an incident in Sydney in 1884 when two of our bowlers were late, with a sticky wicket becoming stickier. Blackham waited half / an hour, and when the bowlers arrived one secured half the recna-'B-ing wickets, enabling us to win the Hrst test by nine runs. 1 have not forgotten that most generous action, which lost Australia the rubber." THE THIRD TEST TEAM, London, June 18. The Times says that the only difficulty the selectotrs will find in the third test is equalising the fielding. The Australians Were never richer in brilliant fieldsmen, and have reduced the placing of the field to something approximating an exact science. It is no exaggeration to say that England's 253 was fully equal to Australia’s 342, the wonderful fielding saving the difference. The bowling weakness compels the selectors m make fresh experiments. Hobbs is standing the strain of practice well. Hearne’s health continues to improve.