Lives in Cricket No 30 - MJK Smith

44 resistance from New Zealand’s top order, but the match ended midway through the third day with England victorious by 205 runs. Mike had one county match for Warwickshire, against Glamorgan at Coventry, before the teams assembled for the Second Test at Lord’s. The visiting skipper was Wilfred Wooller, one of the England selectors at whose request Mike was now opening the innings. The conditions were testing. A green pitch, typical of an exceptionally wet summer, helped Wooller and Allan Watkins reduce Warwickshire to 21 for three. Gardner, Townsend and Tom Cartwright were all out, but Mike fought on. It was ‘not the time for frolicsome batting to whet the appetite of the selectors,’ opined one of the local papers. Two and a half hours of stern application for 48 enabled Warwickshire to reach 190 in what was to end as a drawn match. Moving to Lord’s, England found a true batting surface awaiting them. This was an opportunity for Mike when May won the toss, and he was determined to make the most of it. But did he apply himself too hard? In two hours before lunch he managed just 17 and had seen Richardson dismissed after a stand of 54. Partnered first by Graveney then May, Mike battled on for three hours fifty minutes to reach 47. Cowdrey eventually increased the tempo, but overnight rain and a delayed resumption gave the tail licence to hit out before Laker and Lock got to work in earnest. All out for 47, New Zealand’s score was the lowest in a Lord’s Test at that time, later overtaken by India’s 42 in 1974. Following on, they managed only 74 to give England victory by an innings and 148 runs. With a winter tour of Australia in the offing, weak opposition was not helping the selectors. For the Third Test at Leeds Richardson was left out to enable them to have a look at Milton. This most wretched of summers allowed no play until after lunch on Saturday, the third day of the match. New Zealand were then bowled out by Laker and Lock for 67, the rot starting after an opening stand of 37 was ended by a brilliant close catch by Mike, who was soon in the action again taking a skier at fine leg. As he and Milton walked out that evening, both of them double internationals, it seemed that Mike might have just one innings to state his case. An edge held at slip off MacGibbon brought an early return to the pavilion. He had scored only three, and at stumps England were 14 for one. Next day there were hundreds for Milton and May, and Mike’s only role was to play his part in the field as the visitors capitulated Capped as an opener