Special Sub-Topic: The Bodyline Tour: 1932-33 Click Here To Play: The Bodyline Tour: 1932-33

Who captained England for the bodyline tour?

Douglas Jardine. Jardine was a ruthless captain in an era when the spirit in which sport was played was important. He was a strong-willed and haughty individual who apparently hated Australians, and did nothing to hide his feelings of dislike. The views of his own side were mixed: while many were extremely loyal towards him, others such as the Nawab of Pataudi did not support his methods.

Why did the England team use the bodyline tactics?

They thought it was the only way to stop Australia's star batsman. Jardine thought it was the only way to defeat an Australian side that included probably the greatest batsman ever - Donald Bradman. Bodyline or 'leg theory' involved bowling very fast and short on the general line of the batsman's body. The batsman had a choice: try to hit the ball and risk being caught out by fielders on the leg side, or risk taking a painful hit on the body. Jardine decided to use this tactic on the basis of a theory that Bradman was frightened of short-pitched bowling.

Which English county side did the Bodyline bowlers Larwood and Voce play for.

Nottinghamshire. Larwood, Voce, and Bill Bowes of Yorkshire used the tactic to varying degrees, although Larwood was the main bodyline bowler. He was generally regarded as one of the fastest bowlers of his era. This, and his exceptional level of control made him the ideal bowler for bodyline tactics. One England fast bowler, George 'Gubby' Allen, refused to bowl bodyline.

The bodyline bowling made batting more difficult for the Australians, but which one of them still managed to score 187 in one innings?

Stanley McCabe. Stan McCabe produced his magnificent innings in the first Test, when Bradman was absent through illness. He batted against Larwood and the other England bowlers for just over 4 hours and scored 25 boundaries.

The third test was full of controversy, culminating when Bertie Oldfield, the Australian wicket-keeper, suffering a fractured skull. Which statement best describes that incident?

An accident caused by Oldfield edging the ball towards his face.. Oldfield's injury was actually caused when he edged a ball that had been bowled outside the off-stump, and he admitted that it had been an accident. Bill Woodfull was also hurt during the match, again from a ball bowled on the offside. However, Jardine employed bodyline bowling during this match and public anger was such that the crowd was still incensed by these injuries and blamed them on Jardine's tactics.

After the third Test, the Australian Board of Control sent a telegram to England, deploring the tactics. Which word angered the England cricket authorities?

unsportsmanlike. This raised a few hackles at the governing body of English Cricket, the Marylebone Cricket Club or MCC, and was a tactical error by the Australian Board of Control. They may have had reason to complain to the MCC but their choice of words was always likely to cause a defensive reaction from the MCC. However, the laws of cricket were changed a few years later to eliminate bodyline bowling.

Douglas Jardine almost invariably wore a cap in the colours of which cricket team?

Harlequins. Jardine studied at Oxford, and generally wore the cap of the 'wandering club' associated with the university, rather than an England cap. I Zingari and Free Foresters are also wandering clubs, while Surrey is the English county team that Jardine played for.

Which Test cricketer of a later era was related to Australian batsman Victor Richardson?

Ian Chappell. Richardson was the grandfather of Ian, Greg, and Trevor Chappell. Ian and Greg both captained Australia, while Trevor's international career is perhaps best remembered for a controversial final delivery against New Zealand.

Despite the bitter emotions raised by the tour, which England player went on to emigrate to Australia in 1950?

Harold Larwood. Larwood never played for England again after the Bodyline series ended, and later moved to Sydney with his wife and five daughters. He was readily accepted by former opponents and the general public in Australia.

In 1934, Jardine was present at the Oval Test against Australia. In what capacity?

He was there to report on the match. After the bodyline tour, Jardine was retained as captain for series against New Zealand, West Indies and India. In the 2nd Test in 1933, the West Indian bowlers Martindale and Constantine used bodyline tactics against England. The fiercely competitive Jardine accepted this challenge, and managed to produce his highest-ever test score - 127.