Bodyline Cricket Controversy - a topic in HSC Syllabus in NSW

by A. C. de Silva

BODYLINE CRICKET: Cricket is a popular game in many parts of the world and there are many countries that play top grade cricket - that’s Test matches, while there are also countries who play slightly lower grade of cricket too.

Test cricket has gone through many phases and it has also been money-spinning affairs in many instances and sometime back, the game of cricket has also had many unhappy instances too.

To this day, the Bodyline tour remains as one of the most significant events in the history of cricket, and strong in the consciousness of many cricket followers. In a poll of cricket journalists, commentators and players in 2004, the Bodyline tour was ranked as the most important event in cricket history.

From 2008 to 2009, the Bodyline controversy was a topic in the New South Wales (NSW) Higher School Certificate as part of the preliminary (Year 11) Modern History Syllabus.

Bodyline was also part of the Class (CBSC History Curriculum in India.)

Currently, Australian film director and Producer Peter Clifton, is co-producing the Bloody Ashes, a film which will focus on the Bodyline series. An Australian casting agency has been commissioned for the search, while UK visiting scouts are hunting for cricketers to play Jardin and Larwood. Clifton, who wrote the film with his partner Michael Thomas, has said the decision to search for cricket clubs for the young Bradman role came after discussions with former Australian cricket captain Ian Chappell.

The Australian cricket team toured England in 1930. Australia won the five-Test series 2-1 with Don Bradman scoring an astounding 974 runs at a batting average e.g. 139.14 an aggregate record that stands to this day. By the time of the next Ashes series of 1932-33, Bradman’s average hovered around 100, approximately twice that of all 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 would have been 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. This view gradually came to change leading up to 1932.

* Birth of Bodyline

The idea of Bodyline has originated in the Oval Test of the 1930 Ashes. While Bradman was batting, the wicket became briefly difficult following rain. Bradman seemed to be uncomfortable facing deliveries which bounced higher than usual at a faster pace, being seen to step back out of the line of the ball. Former England and Surrey captain Percy Fender was one who noticed, and the incident was much discussed by the cricketers. However, given that Bradman scored 232, it was not thought that a way to curb his prodigious scoring had been found.

When Douglas Jardin later saw film footage of the Oval incident and noticed Bradman’s discomfort, he shouted, “I’ve got it! He’s yellow!” Further details which added to the plan came from letters Fender received from Australia in 1932 which described how Australian batsmen were increasingly moving across the stumps towards the off-side to play the ball on the on-side.

Jardine himself had to face bodyline bowling in a Test match. The West Indian cricket team toured England in 1933, and, in the second Test at Old Trafford, Jackie Grant, their captain, decided to try Bodyline. He had a couple of fast bowlers, Manny Martindale and Learie Constantine.

Facing Bodyline tactics for the first time, England first suffered, falling to 134 for 4 wickets, with Wally Hammond being hit on the chin, though he recovered to continue his innings. Then Jardin himself faced Martindale and Constantine.

Jardine never flinched. With Les Ames finding himself in difficulties, Jardin said, “You get yourself down this end, Les. I’ll take care of this bloody nonsence.” He played right back to the bouncers, standing on tiptoe, and played them with a dead bat, sometimes playing the ball one handed for more control.

Whilst the Old Trafford pitch was not as suited to bodyline as the hard Australian wickets. Martindale did take 5 for 73, but Constantine only took 1 for 55.

Jardine himself made 127, his only Test century. In the second West Indian innings, Clark bowled Bodyline back to the West Indians, taking 2 for 64. The match in the end was drawn but played a large part in turning English opinon against Bodyline. The Times (newspaper) used the word “Bodyline”, without using inverted commas or using the qualification “so-called,” for the first time. Wisden also said that “most of those watching it for the law, it was not nice.”

* Changes to the laws

As a direct consequence of the 1932-33 tour, the MCC introduced a new rule to the Laws of Cricket in 1935. Specifically, umpires were now given the power - and responsibility to intervene if they considered a bowler was deliberately aiming at a batsman with intent to injure.

Some 25 years later, another rule was introduced banning the placement of more than two fielders in the quadrant of the field behind square leg, although this rule was not principally intended to prevent leg theory, it diluted the potency of short-pitched leg theory, as it allowed for fewer catching positions on the leg side.

Following the 1932-33 series, several authors, including many of the players involved, released books expressing various points of view about Bodyline.

Many argued that it was a scorge on cricket and must be stamped out, while some did not see what all the fuss was about.

The series has been discribed as the most controversial period in Australian cricket history and voted the most important Australia’s moment by a panel of Australian cricket identities. The MCC asked Harold Larwood to sign an apology to them for his bowling in Australia, making his selection for England again conditional upon it. Larwood was furious at the notion, pointing out that he had been following orders from his upper-class captain, and that was where any blame should lie. Larwood refused, never played for England again, and became vilified in his own country.

The bodyline series was played in 1932-33

First Test at Sydney

Australia: 360 (S. J. McCabe 187, V. Y. Richardson 49; Harold Larwood 5 for 96, B. Voce 4 for 110) and 164 (J. H. Fingleton 40; Harold Larwood 5 for 28). Lost to England by 10 wickets. England: 524 (H. Sutcliffe 194, W. R. Hammond 112, Nawab of Pataudi (Sr) 102; Wall 3 for 104, O’Reilley 3 for 117) and 1 for no loss.

* Second Test at Melbourne

Australia: 228 (Fingleton 83; Voce 3 for 54) and 191 (Bradman 103 not out; Hammond 3 for 21) beat England by 111 runs.

England: 169 (B. Sutcliffe 52; Wall 4 for 52, O’Reilley 5 for 63) and 139 (O’Reilley 5 for 66, M. Ironmonger 4 for 26).

*The third Test at Adelaide

England: 341 (M. Leyland 83, R. E. S. Wyatt 78, E. Paynter 77, H. Verity 45; Wall 5 for 72) and 412 (D. Jardin 56, W. Hammond 85, Ames 69, Leyland 42, Wyatt 49, Verity 40; O. Reilley 4 for 79, Ironmonger 3 for 87) beat Australia by 338 runs.

Australia: 222 (Ponsford 85, Allen 4 for 71) and 193 (Woodfull 73 not out, Bradman 66).

*Fourth Test at Brisbane

Australia: 340 (V. Y. Richardson 83, Woodfull 67, Bradman 76; Larwood 4 for 101) and 175 (Larwood 3 for 49, Allen 3 for 44) lost to England by 6 wkts. England: 356 (D. Jardon 46, Sutcliffe 86, E. Paynter 83, O’Reilley 4 for 120, Ironmonger 3 for 69) and 162 for 4 wkts (Leyland 86).

*Fifth Test at Sydney

Australia: 435 (Bradman 48, O’Brien 61, McCabe 73, L. S. Darling 85, Oldfield 52, P. K. Lee 42; H. Larwood 4 for 98, Verity 3 for 62) and 182 (Woodfull 67, Bradman 71; Verity 5 for 3), lost to England by 8 wkts.

England: 454 (B. Sutcliffe 56, W. Hammond 101, Larwood 98, Leyland 42, Wyatt 51, G. Allen 48; O’Reilley 3 for 100) and 168 for 2 wkts (W. Hammond 75 not out, Wyatt 61 not out).