The fifth and last of the test matches between England
and Australia ended in a draw on Wednesday. The English team, who batted first, scored 576, while the Australians made 332, and 254 for five wickets. Four out of the five matches having been drawn, the single victory of the Australians at Lord's, when they won by ten wickets, secures them the rubber. No one can grudge the Australians their triumph, which has been achieved by superior all-round efficiency, and greater resolution in playing uphill games,—in other words, by greater skill and better nerve. Apart from the international significance of these matches, the proportion of unfinished games points irresistibly to a reform of the rules of cricket. What with the great improvement in the smoothness and trueness of cricket-grounds, and the introduction of the "boundary" system, a fine season like the present gives undue preponderance to the bat over the ball, and leads to an altogether unsatisfactory number of unfinished matches, in spite of the new rule of declaring an innings closed. Further "legislation" will probably be in the direction of modifying the rules as to" boundaries," "follow on," and "leg- before-wicket," increased stringency in the enforcement of the last-named rule being, in the opinion of some experts, highly desirable. But all the best authorities deprecate any tampering with the sire of bats or the breadth or height of wickets.
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