fredfertang
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
There was nothing new about leg theory (Frank Foster and Fred Root to name two had used it) and nothing new about fast intimidatory bowling (Jack Gregory and Ted MacDonald for example - there had been many others)
All Jardine did was combine the two - he took the view that the strength of Australia's batting was such that conventional tactics would not be successful - who could blame him? after all Australia had comfortably won in 1930 and could include in their batting line up men who still have the 1st, 5th and 6th best career averages (Bradman, Woodfull and Ponsford) as well as McCabe who by all accounts was a better batsman than the latter two - given the sort of shirtfronts the Aussie curators were producing what do you suggest Jardine did - take the 5-0 drubbing?
Would you seriously suggest that had the Big Ship, for one, been in Jardine's shoes he wouldn't have done the same - and even the holier than thou Bill Woodfull was happy to eventually retaliate - but Alexander just wasn't good enough
..... and don't forget either that the two batsmen who were hurt, Oldfield and Woodfull, were hit when Larwood was bowling conventional off theory
All Jardine did was combine the two - he took the view that the strength of Australia's batting was such that conventional tactics would not be successful - who could blame him? after all Australia had comfortably won in 1930 and could include in their batting line up men who still have the 1st, 5th and 6th best career averages (Bradman, Woodfull and Ponsford) as well as McCabe who by all accounts was a better batsman than the latter two - given the sort of shirtfronts the Aussie curators were producing what do you suggest Jardine did - take the 5-0 drubbing?
Would you seriously suggest that had the Big Ship, for one, been in Jardine's shoes he wouldn't have done the same - and even the holier than thou Bill Woodfull was happy to eventually retaliate - but Alexander just wasn't good enough
..... and don't forget either that the two batsmen who were hurt, Oldfield and Woodfull, were hit when Larwood was bowling conventional off theory