Bob
Wyatt captained the MCC side against an Australian
XI a couple of matches before the First Test in
Sydney 1932, he used Bodyline in a restricted
for during that match - the first instance of
Bodyline used on that tour. According to Wyatt,
even at this limited form of Fast Leg theory,
Bradman looked uncomfortable against Harold Larwood.
However Don was not in full health at this time
in his career and was soon to be rested by medical
opinion, this may account for his apparent uneasiness.
Again according to Wyatt, he introduced Fast Leg
Theory (under Jardine's instruction who was on
holiday fishing during the match) steadily throughout
the match due to the deterioration of the match
ball and the fact that they failed to get the
ball to swing away from the batsmen.
Bob
Wyatt in his book 'Three Straight Sticks' makes
a controversial comment ' Nor do I think there
is the smallest doubt that if the Australians
had had a bowler of the type of Larwood they would
have bowled him in the same way as we did'. Now
as I have mentioned elsewhere in this history
section - under Woodfull, there was never a suggestion
of retaliation to the tactics used by the MCC
side. This being the case, he would certainly
have not thought to use the tactics without provocation.
I respect Wyatt's opinion on this matter but I
think he is wrong.
The
English camp was unhappy with the condition of
the pitch at Melbourne for the Second Test match.
Vice captain Wyatt mentioned that when the MCC
played at the MCG in November during a first class
match the pitch was among the fastest in Australia.
Because of this knowledge the England committee
ahead of the Test match chose four fast bowlers
for the match. However when the game began, it
was clear that the pitch had been under prepared
(an accusation claimed by players from both party'
s years later. From the outset the pitch took
spin and the English side cried foul.
I
won't go into great detail regarding the rest
of the Test series as this has been covered in
detail elsewhere on the site. What I will say
however is that Wyatt thought 'Bodyline' bowling
didn't account for a great percentage of wickets
that fell in the series. There is no argument
surrounding the two batsmen to be hit during the
Third test at Adelaide namely Woodfull and Oldfield
as both were hit by non-Bodyline balls. Good length
balls that were misjudged hit them and they paid
the price through injury. Although the majority
of wickets to fall were non-Bodyline, the fact
that the pressure had been put on the batsmen
by these tactics could not have helped their state
of mind!
In
his book, Wyatt commented on the difference between
professional and players in the early 1930's.
In it he says that when money of any amount was
won thanks to a player or team's performance,
the money was put into a players pool (as it is
these days). However at the end of the series,
the class system was in evidence when professional
players shared the money and the amateur players
or gentlemen as they were known were bought presents!!
Just an interesting side note to Bodyline I thought
worth mentioning as it was an important one, which
would be difficult to imagine in today's professional
game.
An
interesting point to come out of Wyatt's book
was the Larwood situation in the final Test match.
He claims that it was he that suggested Larwood
be sent in at the fall of the second or third
wicket to fall and not Douglas Jardine. The English
captain in his book 'In Quest of the Ashes' claimed
he was responsible for this team change, and as
captain I think you would have to go with what
he has written. I'm sure Bob Wyatt may have discussed
the team order with his captain at some stage,
but so strong and clever were Jardine's opinions
and tactics that I believe it was he who decided
on the batting order not Wyatt. Jardine gives
further evidence to this view in his book when
he gave a detailed reason for choosing Larwood
at number 4 (in short to give him a rest after
long stint of bowling).
The
whole team fully supported Jardine in his decisions
and tactics throughout the tour, and because of
all the negative feedback surrounding his actions
and those of his fast bowlers, it showed the respect
that they had for him not only as a player but
also as a man. Gubby Allen was the only fast bowler
on the tour who refused to bowl Bodyline. This
was down to two reasons according to Bob Wyatt.
The first being that Gubby didn't agree with the
tactics used by Jardine (although as mentioned
there was never any question of where his loyalty
lay) and the second and equal reason - he was
simply not fast enough. |
