Remember the famous or rather infamous Bodyline series of 1932-33? The greatest English bowler of the day, Harold Larwood, bowled at a blistering estimated speed of over 90 miles per hour and totally decimated his Australian opponents.
But more importantly, he was accused of bowling bouncers on the leg side, targeting the body of the batsman. A new cricketing term was coined – Bodyline.
Larwood created havoc in the Australian camp when he managed to break the skull one of their batsmen and injured several others. He was blamed for his unsportsmanlike conduct, but had no regret, ascribing his action to following the orders of his wily skipper Douglas Jardine, the mastermind of Bodyline.
Needless to say, England won the series. But more importantly, it managed to put a spanner in the works of the Don Bradman juggernaut. The famous Australian, who until then scored runs at an average of over 100, could manage only an average of around 56 in that series, quite unlike him.
This controversial strategy adopted by the English captain Jardine was very unpopular, though well within the rules of the game. It was probably the first blotch on the gentleman’s game, which until that point was as lily-white as the flannels worn by the cricketers.
Ironically it was England, the team who initiated Bodyline bowling to curb Bradman, who introduced the rule to restrict the number of bouncers per over after being battered by the battery of West Indian and Australian fast bowlers.
Larwood didn’t live very long. Jardine lived little longer. He came to India, did some tiger hunting and posed in pictures taken before a fallen tiger, as was the fad of the time. He died soon after. Bradman lived the longest and missed the 100 batting average by a whisker – which he could have easily achieved but for the Bodyline series.
kevin dustby
Guest
who can remember? surely you had to be there to be there to remember something
Degsy
Guest
You got one thing wrong, Jardine died young but Larwood lived into his mid nineties having emigrated to Australia in the 1950's
Rudolph Lambert Fernandez
Roar Rookie
Liked your piece Sambeet; many thanks. If you haven't read Duncan Hamilton's book "Harold Larwood", I'm sure you'll love it. It is the most authoritative account of what cricket was really like in the 1920s and 30s. It brings home several truths, also several misconceptions - especially about the challenge that batsmen faced. Most 21st century readers, mistakenly, believe that the lone Bodyline series was representative of cricket at the time. Hamilton's book superbly demonstrates that, contrary to popular belief, Depression era cricket was far, far easier for batsmen (like Bradman) than it was for bowlers (like Larwood). There's a sample here.. http://www.greaterthanbradman.com/playing-context.html
craig swanson
Guest
Yes all our strength was in our batting in 32/33. What a lineup. Woodful, Ponsford, Bradman, Kippax, McCabe and the Chappell's grandfather Vic Richardson. Our bowling attack lacked a genuine pace bowler to best exploit leg theory had it been sanctioned by the ACB that is. All our strength was in in great spinner Tiger O'R and Clarrie Grimmett. There was talk of bringing in pace demon Eddie Gilbert but they chose not to play Jardine's unsporting game. Love the quote by Bill Woodful to Pelham Warner after one brutal test match of "there are two sides out their Plum and only one is playing cricket". Was Stan McCabe's 187 in the first test praised by Bradman as one of the best innings he saw?
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Love this series. A pity Australia didn't retaliate but fast bowling was pretty thin then. Larwood lived 'til 1995. Spending his last 40 odd years in Sydney. No hard feelings.