'Bodyline bowling' should be wiped out

BODYLINE BOWLING: Bodyline bowling, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932-33 Ashes tour of Australia, specially to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman.

A bodyline delivery was one where the cricket ball was bowled towards the body of the batsman on the line of the leg stump, in the hope of creating legside deflections that could be caught by one of several fielders in the quadrant of the field behind square leg.

This was considered by many to be intimidatory and physically threatening, to the point of being unfair in a game once supposed to have gentlemanly traditions, but commercialisation of the game had subsequently tended to elevate the principle of "win at all costs" above traditional ideals of sportsmanship.

Although no serious injuries arose from any short-pitched deliveries while a leg theory field was set, the tactic still led to considerable ill feeling between the two teams, with the controversy eventually spilling into the diplomatic arena. It so happened in the two decades that followed, several of the laws of cricket were changed to prevent this tactic being repeated.

The occasional short-pitched ball aimed at the batsman (a bouncer)has never been illegal and is still in widespread use as a tactic.

Don Bradman in forefront

The Australian cricket team toured England in 1930. Australia won the five-Test series 2-1, with Don Bradman scoring 974 runs at a batting average of 139.14, an aggregate record that still stood. By the time the following Ashes series of 1932-3 came by, Bradman's average hovered around 100, approximately twice that of all other world-class batsmen.

England feared that without resorting to drastic tactics, they might not be able to defeat Australia until Bradman - then aged 24 retired, something that might be over a decade away. It was believed that something new was required to combat Bradman, but it was believed more likely that Bradman could be dismissed by leg-spin as Walter Robins and Ian Peebles had supposedly caused him problems; two leg-spinners were included in the English touring party of 1932-33.

Bodyline originated in Oval Test of 1930

The idea of vicious bodyline tactics started in 1930 Ashes series. When Bradman was batting, the wicket became briefly difficult following rain. But the capable batsman that Bradman was, he managed to score 232 there was no easy way out of the Englishmen getting him out early.

Then the question arose as to how the Englishmen were going to keep Bradman quite. When Jardine was appointed England's captain for the 1932-33 English tour of Australia, a meeting was arranged with Nottinghamshire captain Arthur Carr and his two fast bowlers Harold Larwood and Bill Voce at London's Piccadilly Hotel to discuss a plan to combat Bradman's extraordinary skills.

Jardin asked Larwood and Voce if they could bowl on leg stump and make the ball come up into the body of the batsman. The bowlers agreed they could, and that it might prove effective. Several meetings were held in the attempt to keep Bradman quiet. A suggestion was made to introduce leg-theory bowling.

There was plenty of opposition to the "bodyline" bowling issue and the MCC introduced a new rule to the laws of cricket for the 1935 English cricket season. Originally, the MCC hoped that captains would ensure that the game was played in the correct spirit, and passed a resolution that bodyline would breach this spirit.

Direct attack bowling unfair

When this proved to be insufficient, the MCC passed a law that "direct attack" bowling was unfair and it became the responsibility of the umpires to identify and stop.

In 1957, the laws were altered to prevent more than two fielders standing behind square on the leg side; the intention was to prevent negative bowling tactics whereby off-spinners and slow in swing bowlers aimed at the leg stump of batsmen with fielders concentrated on the leg side.

However, an indirect effect was to make bodyline fields impossible to implement.

Later law changes, under the heading of "Intimidatory Short Pitched Bowling", also restricted the number of "bouncers" which may be bowled in an over. Nevertheless, the tactic of intimidating the batsman is still used to an extent that would have been shocking in 1933, although it is less dangerous now because today's players wear helmets and generally fare more protective gear.

The West Indies teams of the 1980s, which regularly fielded a bowling attack comprising some of the best fast bowlers in cricket history, were perhaps the most feared exponents.

ACdeS