Bodyline

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Bodyline

The Bodyline series was and still is a big part of Australian life, taking place during a savage depression when money for Test tickets was incredibly hard to come by. There were 'suggestions' from the MCC (before the tour was finalised) that the tour should be cut back to 3 Test matches after 2 profit loosing home Test series against the West Indies (their first to Australia) and South Africa. The Australian Government of the time knew that if the Test series were shortened it would mean a great loss in revenue and publicity, both required by a starving nation.
The reason for Bodyline was when Bradman was caught up in controversy during the final test at the Oval in 1930 and according to legend; Jardine decided Bodyline was the weapon to counteract Bradman's superiority on their next tour to Australia in 1932. This came about during a wet days play when Bradman and Jackson were in total control. The rain came and no one thought more play was possible. However the umpires thought otherwise and declared that 1 over was possible at 6:25pm that day. The Australian's batsmen furious with this decision, stormed out to the middle to take up their ends. Larwood was the bowler and on a wet wicket he was lethal. Although no wicket fell in this over it was the first sight during that summer that the unbeatable Bradman showed any weakness - his dislike to batting on a wet wicket, his flinching at the unknown factor. Many people throughout and after his career brought this question up many times.
It would be wrong to imagine that Fast Leg Theory or Bodyline emerged fully formed from Jardine's head at that precise moment. Jardine sounded out both Larwood and Voce in early August 1932, at a dinner in the grillroom of the Piccadilly Hotel. Could they bowl accurately at leg stump, 'making the ball come up into the body all the time' in Larwood's own words, ' so that Bradman had to play to leg' - 'we thought Don was frightened of sharp ...