The General Committee of the M. C. C. meets this evening at the House of Lords to consider the protest from the Australian Board of Cricket Control regarding bowling at batsmen’s body in Test matches. The general opinion in cricket circles here is that the Committee will find itself in a peculiar position, because the Committee is conscious of the fact that the Australian Board would not have protested without due consideration of the whole situation.
If the protest is conceded, the M.C.C. Committee will be charged with disloyalty towards Jardine in particular, and the whole English team in general.
It is believed that the Committee may adopt any of the following three courses open to it:
(1) The Committee may suggest that a conference be held between Jardine and the English manager on one side and an equal number of representatives of the Australian Board on the other side with a view to arriving at an amicable settlement.
(2) The M.C.C. Committee may appoint a sub-committee for a thorough investigation and report immediately before the fourth Test match begins at Brisbane.
(3) The M.C.C. Committee may reject the protest and reply to the Australian Board that the M.C.C. does not object if the Australian Board decides not to play the remaining Test matches.
In the event of the M.C.C. upholding Jardine, it is believed that the Australian Board may cancel not only the remaining Test matches of this year but also the arrangements for the 1934 tour. -Free Press
Protest Ineffective
A later message says:
The General Committee of the M.C.C. discussed the Australian protest against the “body-line” bowling of Larwood and decided to send the following cable to the Australian Board of Cricket Control:
“We deplore your cable. We deprecate your opinions that there has been M.C.C. team. We have full confidence in the captain of the team and the manager. We are convinced that they had done nothing to infringe the laws of cricket or the spirit of the game. We have no evidence that our confidence in them is misplaced. Much as we regret the accidents to Woodfull and Oldfield, we understand that in neither case was the bowler to blame. If the Australian Board of Control wish to propose a new law or rule, it will receive our careful consideration.”
