be led by Jock Hartley and to consist mostly of Army officers, was also cancelled by the NZCC, which explained that the weakness of the selected team would be unlikely to draw sufficient crowds to cover costs. Attempts to arrange a tour by a West Indian team in the mid-1920s did not come to fruition. At first it was hoped a tour could be arranged for the 1924–25 season, then the 1926–27 season, but it was not possible. A request by the New Zealand Cricket Council for a two-Test tour by Australia in early 1931 was turned down by the Australian authorities on the grounds that their players needed a rest after a busy year of two five-Test series. A tour by the best Australian players who had not been selected for the Ashes tour of 1934 was arranged to take place between February and April 1934, but a disagreement between the respective cricket boards about financial terms, and the withdrawal of several of the selected players, led to the cancellation of the tour just before it was scheduled to begin. A tour by India was arranged for November 1936 to February 1937, including six first-class matches and eight other matches, but no Tests. It was the brainchild of Arthur Sims and K. S. Duleepsinhji and was to be fully underwritten by Duleepsinhji's cousin the Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, who would also captain the side. Difficulties in India led to the cancellation of the tour in September 1936. A Test tour by Australia, planned for February and March 1940, was cancelled after the outbreak of the Second World War. An itinerary of 14 matches – three Tests, four first-class matches against Plunket Shield teams, and seven other matches – had been arranged, and it was expected that Don Bradman would lead a strong team. See also History of cricket in New Zealand References External sources CricketArchive – New Zealand season itineraries Annual reviews Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1919 to 1945 editions Further reading Bill Frindall, The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877–1978, Wisden, 1979 Don Neely & Richard Payne, Men in White: The History of New Zealand International Cricket, 1894–1985, Moa, Auckland, 1986