The duties of a captain in the field are far more onerous than those
out of it. It is here that his good qualities are tested, his knowledge
and judgment of the game put to the proof. The most difficult task
he has to perform is the management of the bowling. It, of course,
occasionally happens that his two best bowlers are put on, and bowl
successfully without a chance during the whole of the innings. But this
is a very exceptional occurrence, and is but seldom seen in first-class
cricket, and then only when the ground is sticky or crumbled. It is in
the bowling changes and placing that a captain’s skill is principally
seen. On a hard fast wicket it is best to begin with fast bowling at
one end and slow at the other. A good overhand fast bowler on a hard
wicket has more chance of making the ball rise, and getting catches in
the slips and at the wickets, than a slow one; but it is always well
to have different-paced bowling on at either end, as in this way the
batsman’s eye does not get thoroughly accustomed to one pace. The late
F. Morley--in his day the best left-hand fast bowler in England--and
A. Shaw were always individually more successful when playing together
for their county, the fast left hand and slow right being an excellent
variation for the eye of the batsman. Poor Morley, what a good bowler
he was! In our opinion he was the best fast bowler we have had in
England for a very long time. He was a good pace, had a beautifully
easy left-handed delivery, just over his shoulder, and was most
wonderfully accurate in his length. He had a good spin and break-back
on his bowling, and every now and then sent in one that came with the
arm and required a lot of playing. His early death caused a great gap
in the ranks of our professionals, and was much lamented by every class
of cricketers; for a more honest and unassuming professional player
than Fred Morley never went into the cricket-field. His knowledge of
geography was not up to his cricket capabilities; for after a serious
collision in the Indian Ocean, on his voyage to Australia in 1882, a
mishap which subsequently ended fatally to him, he said: ‘No more ships
for me: I’ll home again by the overland route!’
At the beginning of the innings the two bowlers put on should both be
asked which end suits them best; if both want the same, the captain
should give the choice to the one on whom, taking into consideration
the state of the ground, he relies most. The field should be placed
according to the style of the opposing batsman, and in doing this the
captain should act with the consent of the bowler. There are many
captains who change the field from time to time without ever consulting
the bowler, who, if a cricketer, knows better than anyone else where
his bowling is likely to be hit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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