Australia v England

The roles of the two sides were completely reversed in this match. England went into it soft after two weeks of holiday cricket. Australia were revitalised. They outfielded, outbatted and outbowled the victors of the previous Test.

Simpson was fit to resume in charge of Australia and returned in buoyant mood and form. The side had four changes. Booth, Cowper, Philpott and Sincock were dropped for Simpson, Veivers and two young players, Chappell and Stackpole. A fifth change discarded also McKenzie, but a late injury to Allan caused his recall with happy consequences. The changes cleared away the cobwebs and stirred the survivors to keener effort.

The reprieved McKenzie turned in the match-winning performance on the first day. While there was some early life in the pitch he and Hawke took the first three English wickets for 33, and Australia never relaxed their grip on the game. Only during a third-wicket stand of 72 between Barrington and Cowdrey was there a suggestion of English recovery.

They were playing well when Cowdrey mistook a call, as Barrington played the ball straight to mid-on, and rushed down the pitch to be run out. Though Barrington stayed three hours, twenty minutes, followed by ninety minutes of fluent cricket by Parks and the usual stout resistance of Titmus, McKenzie strode on strongly to his final triumph of six for 48, the finest bowling performance of the series.

England's 241 was exceeded by three before the first-wicket partnership of Simpson and Lawry was broken four and a quarter hours later. This great stand was Australia's highest for the first wicket in Test cricket.

It was cemented by seventy-five minutes of fine stroke play by Thomas in a second-wicket partnership of 87, and Simpson went on until he had batted in commanding manner for nine hours and five minutes, scoring his 225 out of 480 with one 6 and eighteen 4's. Stackpole also batted admirably in his first Test and bowled effectively when England went in again 275 behind.

Again McKenzie and Hawke broke the early batting by taking the first three wickets for 32, and England were decisively defeated with more than a day to spare. On the fourth day England mistakenly used defensive tactics when only bold methods might have prised loose Australia's hold.

Titmus alone appreciated that fact and hit his 53 in ninety-five minutes with eight 4's. Barrington stayed five and half hours for a century that contained only four boundaries. Cowdrey, his partner while 82 were added, hit only two 4's in a pawky innings of over two and a half hours. This time Hawke was the outstanding bowler with five for 54. Together McKenzie and Hawke formed a match-winning combination.