Why was the 'bodyline' bowling technique invented?
England won the Ashes 1932-33 by a 4-1 margin, thanks to their Bodyline bowling.
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The Ashes is among the oldest and the most traditional rivalries in world cricket, but if there is something that truly added fuel to the fire, it would be the 'Bodyline' bowling by the England team during the 1932-33 season of the Ashes. The tactic worked so wonderfully for the visiting English side that the tour is till today known as the Bodyline Series.
Why did England use the Bodyline technique?
During the 1930s, Australia were blessed with Sir Donald Bradman, among the most successful batters of all time, as almost a century has gone since he made his debut. When the English side were to tour Down Under for the Ashes in 1932-33, they came prepared to tackle Bradman and his exploits. However, the tactics used were quite unconventional for the era, as cricket had held its reputation of being a polite sport.
England captain Douglas Jardine, who had the ranks of Harold Larwood and Bill Voce in his ranks, used the pacers to excellent effect. Jardine asked his speedsters to stick to a line of bowling short-pitched deliveries, and employed as many as six fielders on the leg side, only to counter the biggest fear in the Australian batting line-up — Bradman. And not to forget — this was the period when there were no protective headgears used in cricket.
Bradman, who had been enjoying a dreamy run over the last three or four seasons with an average of 402.00 in 1932, something that would easily haunt any international opposition. While the English pacers constantly bowled bouncers and restricted the Aussies to find any run easily. It could be said that the batters were simply delaying their dismissals, as the bouncer ploy and leg-heavy field placement kept them tied to score runs.
What happened to Bradman's average?
The most feared New South Wales batter was fairly successful if numbers are to be considered. However, he averaged only 56.00 in the Ashes 1932-33, as it had been more than halved by the Bodyline strategy. This was also the first time that Bradman had averaged less than 50 (48.33 in 1933) in a calendar year since his debut, up until then. This was the first time that Bradman did not score a single century in a year.
What were the after-effects of Bodyline?
Despite England winning Ashes 1932-33 convincingly with a 4-1 margin, the world cricket took a note of their unfair means to get the match and series results in their favour. Later, the MCC had to intervene and upon a thorough examination, the rules were applied, limiting the number of short balls in an over, while also restricting the number of fielders allowed on the leg-side.
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