12 JANUARY 1951, Page 4

So the Ashes stay where they are—where they have been,

it is melancholy to recall, since Jardine's eleven in 1932-3 installed them for a brief period at Lord's (if that Is where they are deposited when here). But even the most patriotic Australian would admit that this time the Englishmen have had cruel luck. There was that second match in which the weather permitted Australia, winning the toss and batting first, to make a normal score, and after that got so atrocious that anything like reasonable cricket and reasonable runs was out of the question. And to lose two indispensable bowlers, Bailey and Wright, in this last match virtually settled everything, for even if England had not made such a miserable show in the second innings it could hardly have kept the Australian runs down if Australia had had to bat again. It is an unsatisfactory way for any side to win the rubber, as Australians no doubt agree, but there it is, and they have plenty of skill to be congratulated on, as well as plenty of luck. Whoever fails to deserve laurels on the English side, it certainly is not Brown, whose captaincy has been admirable and his achievements with both bat and ball beyond all expectation.

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