this; but till the eleven of 1896 every Australian representative eleven has had one or more big hitters in their ranks. Bannerman himself, Bonnor, M'Donnelly Massie, Lyons, have as hitters never been surpassed in England; and in any matches, especially those played on soft, difficult wickets, the value of a big hitter is difficult to overestimate. The match is never won for the outside till the last big hitter is out, for he may turn the tide. Massie's hitting, as well as Spofforth's bowling, won the celebrated match at the Oval in 1882, and Lyons' great innings against the M.C.C. in 1893 saved that match also.
The two greatest teams from Australia were those of 1882 and 1884, and though the first is generally assumed to have been the best, my own opinion is that there was little if anything to choose between them. They consisted largely of the same players, but Scott was in the 1884 eleven, and was a better batsman than Horan, and Midwinter played instead of Garrett as a bowler. Both
