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CAPTAINCY
87

to such balls, than any other way. An old cricketer may here be permitted to indulge in an old memory, namely, the genuine shooter, which sealed the fate of all sloggers, and which, alas, is now never seen.

To know when to declare the innings at an end depends on many circumstances—the state of the wicket, the batting strength of your opponents, your own bowling strength, and how much time there is left. Some captains, notably Mr. F. S. Jackson, think that you ought to declare when it is possible for the other side to get the runs in the time, arguing that they will try and win the match by adopting a freer style, and that therefore you have a better chance of getting them out. If you declare when there are two hours left for play, and three hundred and fifty runs to get to win, all that your rivals will do is to stick, play maiden after maiden, and score at the rate of thirty runs per hour. Unless they are very bad they cannot be got out, and a drawn match is the result. There is a great deal of truth in this view, but in