Bodyline

Bodyline, also known as Fast Leg Theory, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman. Bodyline bowlers deliberately aimed the cricket ball at the bodies of batsmen, in the hope of creating legside deflections which could be caught by one of several fielders located in the quadrant of the field behind square leg.

Cultural impact of Bodyline

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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 scourge on cricket and must be stamped out, while some did not see what all the fuss was about.

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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 never played for England again, and became vilified in his own country. In retrospect, this event is seen by many as the first step in breaking down the class distinction in English cricket.

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Outside the sport, there were significant consequences for Anglo-Australian relations, which remained strained, until the outbreak of World War II made cooperation paramount. Business between the two countries was adversely affected as citizens of each country displayed a preference for not buying goods manufactured in the other. Australian commerce also suffered in British colonies in Asia: the North China Daily News published a pro-Bodyline editorial, denouncing Australians as sore losers. An Australian journalist reported that several business deals in Hong Kong and Shanghai were lost by Australians because of local reactions.

Related Topics:
Hong Kong - Shanghai

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English immigrants in Australia found themselves shunned and persecuted by locals, and Australian visitors to England were treated similarly. Some years later a statue of Prince Albert in Sydney was vandalised, with an ear being knocked off and the word "BODYLINE" painted on it.

Related Topics:
Prince Albert - Sydney

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Both before and after World War II, numerous satirical cartoons and comedy skits were written, mostly in Australia, based on events of the Bodyline tour. Generally, they poked fun at the English.

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In 1984, Australia's Network Ten produced a television miniseries titled Bodyline: It's Just Not Cricket, dramatising the events of the 1932–33 English tour of Australia. It starred Gary Sweet as Don Bradman and Hugo Weaving as Douglas Jardine. The series took some liberties with historical accuracy for the sake of drama, including a depiction of angry Australian fans burning an English flag at the Adelaide Test, an event which was never documented. Larwood, having emigrated to Australia in 1950 to escape ongoing vilification in England, received several threatening and obscene phone calls after the series aired.

Related Topics:
1984 - Network Ten - Gary Sweet - Hugo Weaving - 1950

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To this day, the Bodyline tour remains 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 the most important event in cricket history.

Related Topics:
History of cricket - 2004

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