Bodyline: Crickets Darkest Moment
The cricket controversy of the 1930’s.
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Bodyline or to give it its correct name fast leg theory bowling is a system where a bowler aims the ball at the body of the batsman and it was this technique which sparked a controversy that rocked the cricket worlds very foundations and even threatened friendly relations between England and Australia back in the early 1930’s. During the 1930 Ashes Australia’s Donald Bradman often simply called ‘The Don’ gave the English side a thrashing and claimed just short of a thousand runs, at an average of 139. He together with his team returned home with the famous Ashes urn and the respect and admiration of the whole cricketing world.
Two years later and England had a new captain Douglas Jardine charged with returning from Australia triumphant and with bringing the trophy back to the home shores. Early on it was obvious to one and all in England that no matter how good the English team was, there was one major obstacle standing in the path to an England victory and that was Bradman. Fast leg theory bowling was not used very often as it was a danger to the batsman; however Jardine decided it was a sure way of beating Bradman. Having obtained films of Donald Bradman in action, his technique was studied meticulously and it was decided that he could be intimidated by sending a ball directly at him.
By using this technique and bowling directly at the batsman, he was faced with defending himself or else suffering the consequences which at times were very dangerous. Fielders were placed tightly around the batsman ready to make easy catches from his defensive strokes. Douglas Jardine had a single minded attack and destroy mindset and viewed Bradman and the rest of the Australian team as the enemy, incidentally a mindset which is in direct opposition with the games ideals and overall sportsmanship. You could say that it was just not cricket!
The star bowler of the English team was Harold Larwood the fastest and most feared man with a ball in English cricket. It was said of Larwood that he could send the red ball hurtling towards a batsman at speeds faster than 90 miles per hour and his speed has been equalled in today’s matches with the modern athletic training, but in his day Harold Larwood was the best. Captain Jardine told Larwood together with Englands other fast bowler Bill Voce to only use fast leg theory bowling and it was agreed. The captains word is final and so the team all had to agree with the tactics decided upon by Douglas Jardine, no matter what their own feelings were on the matter.
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Once in Australia and despite Donald Bradman missing the first match Bodyline as it was soon to be called by the Australian press began to wreak havoc and win for the English team. As the test played out it became apparent that this form of bowling was not only uncalled for, but was also unsportsmanlike like as well. The home crowds were far from happy watching their side duck and dive for their own survival instead of being allowed to play the game the spectators had paid to watch. However despite ill feeling the Australian’s kept watching and didn’t become vocal until a private outburst from the well respected Australian gentleman of cricket and captain of the home team was made public. During a meeting with members of the MCC from London, Captain Bill Woodfull had told them.
“There are two teams out there one of them is playing cricket and the other is not!”
Once the Australian public became aware that even the captain agreed that the English side were acting inappropriately they quickly made their own feelings very public and barracked Jardine’s men and the England captain in particular. Douglas Jardine was a patrician of the old school empire building variety and gave as good as he got. He even exaggerated his own behaviour in order to antagonise the local crowds. He would at times come out to bat wearing his much loved Oxford university harlequin cap instead of his England cap. This was a very English and very exclusive cricket club and an action designed to provoke a reaction. Serious injuries resulted from the continued use of fast leg theory bowling included wicket keeper Bill Oldfield who was struck in the face causing a skull fracture and captain Woodfull being hit over his heart.
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” A teammate of Donald Bradman’s Bill O’Reilly who was himself a bowler said this of Bodyline
“What we saw in Australia in 1932-33 was something quite different, and really you could only say that the intention was to scare the daylights out of the batsman, and to put him off his natural game. There was no doubt in our minds that when they put those five men close in on the leg side they were trying to hit the batsman. Douglas Jardine knew what had happened at the Oval in that last Test in 1930, and he knew that Bradman was the difference between the two teams”.
On Janurary 18th 1932 a cable was sent to the MCC by the Australian board of control, it read
“Body-line bowling has assumed such proportions as to menace the best of interests of the game, making protection of the body by the batsman the main consideration. This is causing intensely bitter feeling between the players as well as injury. In our opinion it is unsports-manlike. Unless stopped at once it is likely to upset friendly relations existing between Australia and England.
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The MCC ignored this and the test continued in the same fashion, causing such ill feeling with the crowds that during one game Jardine warned his men that should the crowds invade the field violently they should pick up the wickets and use them in self defence. Thankfully the violence never materialised. England won the Ashes and returned triumphant but one of the team was made an unofficial scapegoat. Harold Larwood was blamed for his choice of bowling style and even told to make a public apology to Australia by the MCC, this he refused to do and never played for England again.
Jardine was a first rate cricket captain and many say misunderstood. Douglas Jardine had been charged with going to Australia and bringing back the Ashes and he had done just that, but at what cost to the sports reputation. In November 1934 the MCC issued a communication saying the use of this type of bowling was deplorable as it was seen to be a direct attack on the batsman by the bowler. It is a great pity that they came to this conclusion too late to save the reputation of one of crickets greatest bowlers, who today is remembered for his part in the bodyline controversy instead of being remembered for his own abilities and sportsmanship. His crime was in following the orders of his captain and in doing so metaphorically going down with the ship.
