Bodyline - Genesis

Genesis

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 stands. By the time of the next Ashes series of 1932–33, 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. This view gradually came to change leading up to 1932.

The idea of bodyline had originated in the Oval Test of the 1930 Ashes series. While Bradman was batting, the wicket became briefly difficult following rain. Bradman was seen 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 cricketers. However, given that Bradman scored 232, it was not thought that a way to curb his prodigious scoring had been found. When Douglas Jardine 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. Fender showed these letters to Jardine when it became clear that he was to captain the MCC in Australia during the 1932-33 tour, and he also discussed Bradman's discomfort at the Oval. It was also known in England that Bradman was dismissed for a four-ball duck by fast bowler Eddie Gilbert, and looked very uncomfortable. Bradman had also appeared uncomfortable against the pace of Sandy Bell in his innings of 299 not out, when the desperate bowler decided to bowl short to him, and South African Herbie Taylor, according to Jack Fingleton, may have mentioned this to English cricketers in 1932. Fender felt Bradman might be vulnerable to fast, short-pitched deliveries on the line of leg stump. Jardine felt that Bradman was afraid to stand his ground against intimidatory bowling, citing instances in 1930 when he shuffled about, contrary to orthodox batting technique.

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. Jardine 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. Jardine also visited Frank Foster who had toured Australia in 1911–12 to discuss field-placing in Australia. Foster had bowled leg-theory on that tour with his fielders placed close in on the leg side, as had George Hirst in 1903–04.

A cordon of close-in fielders would be arrayed behind the wicket and on the leg side to exploit batting errors elicited by this bowling line. In these circumstances, a batsman can either duck and risk being hit, or play the ball. Defensive shots rarely score runs and risk being caught in the cordon, while the pull and hook shots can result in a catch on the boundary, for which two men were usually set in "leg-theory" bowling. Leg theory had been practised previously without resort to short-pitched bowling, usually by slow or medium-pace bowlers. This type of leg theory was aimed outside the line of leg stump; the object being to test the batsman's patience and force a rash stroke. It was occasionally an effective tactic, but was unattractive for spectators and never became widely used except by a handful of specialists such as Fred Root, the Worcestershire bowler and Warwick Armstrong, the former Australian captain.

However, there had been instances of what would later be recognised as bodyline prior to 1932. In 1925, Australian Jack Scott first bowled a form of bodyline in a state match for New South Wales, but his captain Herbie Collins disliked it and would not let him use it again when he was captain. Other Australian captains were less particular, including Vic Richardson who let him use those tactics when he moved to South Australia. He repeated them against the MCC in 1928–29. In 1927, in a Test trial match, "Nobby" Clark bowled short to a leg-trap field. He was representing England in a side captained by Jardine. In 1928–29, Harry Alexander bowled an early form of bodyline at the MCC tourists. Larwood used a form of bodyline on that same tour, bowling fast leg theory to a leg-side field in two Test matches, although not with the same intensity and duration as came later. Bob Wyatt later claimed that Learie Constantine unsuccessfully used bodyline in 1929–30 in the West Indies.

Larwood and Voce practised the plan over the remainder of the 1932 season with varying but increasing success and several injuries to batsmen. Ken Farnes experimented with short-pitched, leg-theory bowling but was not selected for the tour. Bill Bowes also used short-pitched bowling, notably against Jack Hobbs.