Cricket trad and mod
Sir: While not wishing to resurrect ancient his- tory, I feel that Mr Wilson (Letters, 22 March) must not be allowed to get away with his attack on the utcc concerning the Close-Cowdrey con- troversy of last turnmer.
Mr Wilson extols Close's virtues. No one
wishes to deny that Close is an able all-round cricketer, a fine fielder, and a successful cap- tain. But there is little doubt that as a player Close would not merit a place in the England team. He has played several useful innings for England, including his greatest and highest inn- ings of seventy against. the West Indians at Lord's. He has also on occasion bowled well and he has been an inspiration in the field. Granted.
Let us now consider the man who was his rival for the captaincy : Cowdrey. Cowdrey has played in more Test matches than anyone in the history of the game. During the years he has represented England he has always been con- sidered among the top half-dozen batsmen in the world. He holds many records, has scored twenty centuries for England, and it says much ICE him that after playing in nearly a hundred %tests his batting average approaches fifty. Cowdrey, too, is a fine fielder, one of the best slips in the country if not the best—as one cricket correspondent so aptly put it, his hands are as 'safe as the Weald of Kent!' He has also a respectable record as an England captain, and this he has greatly enhanced during the present tour i,n which he has played such a conspicuous part, both as player and captain.
Mr Wilson, referring to the previously men- tioned Lord's Test, darkly states that Cow- drey had retired from the onslaught with a broken arm . . .' What is the purpose of such an innuendo other than malice towards a great cricketer? He fails to mention that Cowdrey subsequently returned from hospital to bat com- plete with arm in plaster!
However, all this is beside the point. What matters is whether or not the mcc chose the best man for the job. I believe they did. Cowdrey has always displayed a natural charm, sports- manship, and a love of the game in a world where such virtues are consistently being de- rided. He has consistently refused to resort to 'gamesmanship' (the misdemeanour for which Close was denied the captaincy). In this con- text it is to the credit of the West Indian spec- tators to note that when Sobers and Gibbs began a rather lengthy conversation prior to what turned out to be the last over during England's recent Test victory, their supporters let them know their displeasure in no uncertain terms. One may well imagine what might have hap- pened had an England captain adopted such tactics in a similar situation!
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