Page:Cricket (Lyttelton, 1898).djvu/78

The first notable struggles between Stoddart's eleven and Australia in 1895 and 1896 possessed an historic interest, and perhaps the success of the Englishmen by three victories to two away from their own country, having lost the toss four matches out of the five, is as good a specimen of English pluck and skill as is to be found in the history of the game. Some luck there was no doubt, the first match having been won entirely owing to a break in the weather; but in the fourth match the English eleven had in this respect far the worst of the luck. But the great feats were in the first and last matches—the first, after the Australians had scored 586 in the first innings of the match; and the last, when they had made 414 in the first innings; and the Englishmen, having to get 298 to win, got them for the loss of four wickets. Looking at the whole series of matches from the point of view of an old critic, I may ascribe some of the English success to the extraordinary captaincy of Giffen, who seemed to think that he ought