• Home
  • Unheard Stories
  • Birth Of Bodyline Douglas Jardines Ultimate Solution For Bradman In The Ashes

Birth of Bodyline: Douglas Jardine’s ultimate solution for Bradman in The Ashes

Shreyasi

Bodyline Ashes [Source: X/@PictureSporting]Bodyline Ashes [Source: X/@PictureSporting]

In the era of fast-paced, non-stop cricket contests, the Ashes carries the age-old nostalgia of classic cricket rivalry. For cricket fans and players of England and Australia, the Ashes, however, has been much more than a clash between two arch-rivals of world cricket. In fact, the infamous Bodyline proved that the Ashes could be a warfront for the cricketers.

The meeting: Jardine's desperate plan to stop Bradman

The idea of Bodyline was simple, ruthless, and focused. The plan was to stop the dangerous Don Bradman. His run fest also impacted the diplomatic ties between the two countries. So, Douglas Jardine, the England captain during the 1932-33 tour, had a plan.

Perry Fender, the Surrey captain and mentor of Jardine, had observed Bradman’s discomfort against short balls aimed at his body. So, Jardin, who was mocked by Australians earlier for his slow batting and “snooty” Harlequin Cap, had a perfect plan against the most loved Australian cricketer.

The England captain met with Nottinghamshire captain Arthur Carr and his two fast bowlers, Harold Larwood and Bill Voce, at the Piccadilly Hotel, London. He asked the Larwood and Voce to bowl fast and short-pitched deliveries directly at the batter's body with packed leg side fields for catches.

"One team is trying to play cricket"

The tour became infamous for its violence and controversy. The English bowlers followed the tactics, causing serious injuries to the batters. When a Larwood bouncer hit the Australian captain Bill Woodfull on the heart, it was not a Test cricket match anymore.

The Australian captain collapsed, and the England captain applauded the bowler in a loud voice, "Well Bowled, Harold." The message was for everyone to hear, including Bradman and the injured Woodfull.

Jardine angered the crowd so much that after a brief delay, when the play resumed and players moved to the bodyline positions, the crowd protested once again. Later in the day, one of England’s managers, Pelham Warner, visited the Australian captain. Woodfull reportedly said,

“I don’t want to see you, Mr Warner. There are two teams out there. One is trying to play cricket, and the other is not.”

The drama unfolded 

The most dramatic moment occurred the following day as the wicketkeeper Bert Oldfield attempted to play a hook at a short-pitched delivery off Larwood. The ball struck him on his head, and he collapsed, having suffered from a fractured skull. The outrage created a near-riot situation, causing a potential threat to the remainder of the series.

Eventually, Jardine offered to discontinue the bodyline tactics if the team decided not to continue. Interestingly, the players issued a statement supporting the captain following a private meeting that Jardine did not attend. However, despite all the outrage and controversies, Jardine's goal was achieved. England won the Ashes 4-1, and Bradman's average was severely impacted.