fielding, according to Simon Wilde, in a position which Ranjitsinhji was more likely to fill in normal circumstances. Wilde writes: "[Several members of the team] failed to play their part, notably Ranji, whose abject performance was in marked contrast to his former days of splendour. The real reason for his poor performance has remained the knowledge of only a very few. At the time, a polite veil was drawn over his failure, but he was never to play for England again." In 15 Test matches, all against Australia, he scored 989 runs at an average of 44.96. After the Test, Ranjitsinhji played only a few more games that season. After two batting failures for Sussex, he dropped out of the team, even though the side were in contention for the County Championship, eventually finishing second. Part of the reason may have been to pre-empt his omission from the England team for the final Test, a match he attended as a spectator, but he did not return to Sussex after the match. The press speculated he had walked out on the team; among the reasons suggested were disappointment with the performances of the side, dissatisfaction with the bowlers and efforts to recruit new players, and his falling out with the professional players. The local press criticised him for abandoning the team at a crucial phase of the season, and praised Brann, his replacement. Nevertheless, Ranjitsinhji preferred to play for MCC against the Australians, scoring 60 and 10. His three substantial innings gave him a batting record for the season which partially masked his difficulties: 1, 106 runs at an average of 46.08, placing him second in the national averages. Ranjitsinhji managed to raise enough money, probably through a loan, to head off the threat of bankruptcy. After spending time with Pratap Singh who was in London for the coronation of Edward VII, Ranjitsinhji went to Gilling East in Yorkshire, where the Reverend Borrisow now lived. He spent the winter there, adding to the speculation surrounding him. He became very close to Borrisow's eldest daughter, Edith, and the pair may have become engaged around this time. Final regular seasons After alleviating some of his financial concerns through journalism and writing, Ranjitsinhji was able to return to cricket. Like the previous season, cricket in 1903 was badly affected by weather, resulting in many difficult batting pitches. Ranjitsinhji scored 1,924 runs at 56.58 to