 One English player said "We are the first Ambassadors ever embroiled in a war while on a goodwill mission".The goodwill aspect of the tour meant that Hammond could not publicly complain about the Australian umpires, who he regarded as incompetent.Unlike the Australians, the selectors preferred to use cricketers who had made their name in the 1930s and selection appeared to be on the basis of pleasing the English public, who only knew the older players.