James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1887

T H EF I F T HA U S T R A L I A NT E A MI N E N G L A N D . 1 9 that the Fifth Australian Teamwas as good, if not better , than the best which hadpreviously visited our shores . It can hardly be said that the same unanimity prevailed among those best capable of judging on this side . O nthe contrary , not a few found it impossible or difficult at least to realise that capable substitutes would be found, even in the face of the undoubtedly brilliant form shown by Messrs . Bruce and McIl- wraith, for m e nwho had proved their capacity on English grounds, cricketers of such exceptional ability under the most trying conditions , never disheartened , howeverthe gamemight be going against them, as Messrs . Murdoch, McDonnell, a n dA . B a n n e r m a n . Theexperiences of last summerproved conclusively that the judgment of themore sceptical of the English critics was singularly correct . There was, indeed , a lack of stability about the batting -a want of the nerve which was such a markedcharacteristic of the previous teams w h e nthe pinch came; in fact , an absence of the capacity to play an uphill game which was possessed in such a markeddegree by Mr. Murdoch, andinstilled by the force of his example to thosew h oservedu n d e rh i m. It w a sthe misfortunerathert h a nthe fault of those who were responsible for the selection of the players that the new membersshould have been comparative failures and fallen considerably short of the high standard based on the series of brilliant performances at home. Mr. Bruce on some few occasions batted well , and certainly his style was good enough to satisfy the most hypercritical judge that there were good reasons for the reputation he had wonas one of the very best of Australian batsmen. As an all -round cricketer his ability was unmistakable ; but he certainly failed from some cause or other , most probably from want of confidence , or a want of knowledge of English grounds , to realise the high expectations formed of himboth as a batsman and a bowler. His bowling , indeed , was a signal dis- appointment to those who had heard of his doings from the members of the various teams which had visited the Colonies during the last few years , and he will be chiefly remembered by reason of his fielding , which was particularly clean andsmart. At cover -point he wasreally brilliant , and will bear comparison in this responsible position even with such masters as the Rev. Vernon Royle , Briggs , and others of equal fame amongEnglish cricketers . Mr. McIlwraith , whose scoring during the Australian season of 1885 and 1886 was phenomenal , quite above any previous record of Colonial batsmen , was even a greater disappointment . Unlike Mr. Bruce , who had the triple recom- mendation of batting , bowling , and fielding , his one credential was as a bats- m a n. His fielding , indeed , wasadmittedly but moderate , and whenhe failed as arun-getter , there wasnothing in the shape of ability to save runs to compensate . Duringthe earlier matches he did nothing as a batsman to justify his Australian reputation , and it was only at the close of the tour , whenthe more important engagements were really at an end, that he gave the public even a taste of his powers as a run-getter . If I mistake not, his highest score was sixty -two not out against Hastings andDistrict , and then, with the exception of WoottonandHum- phreys , the bowling to which he was opposed was not of a very high quality . Mr. Trumble, though his bowling did not give one the impression of being very difficult at any time , was fairly successful . He did nothing particularly noteworthy with either bat or ball , but still , although his fielding showed a wantof life , he proved himself a useful all -round cricketer . Form a n yyears the English public has been familiar with the name of Mr. E. Evans, of NewSouth Wales , as that of one of the best all -round players in the Colonies . As long since as 1873-74 , when Mr. W. G. Grace's Teamtoured in Australia , his fame had been established here through the excellent account given of his all -round cricket by the late James Southerton , a thoroughly reliable and capable judge of the game, and other prominent members of that party . There was, therefore , considerable disappointment on the occasion of each recur- ring visit of Australian players that he was an absentee , and some satis- faction was consequently expressed when it was found that he was really on the wayto England.