Page "Bodyline" Paragraph 39

Jardine himself had to face bodyline bowling in a Test match.

The West Indian cricket team toured England in 1933, and, in the second Test at Old Trafford, Jackie Grant, their captain, decided to try bodyline.

He had a couple of fast bowlers, Manny Martindale and Learie Constantine.

Facing bodyline tactics for the first time, England first suffered, falling to 134 for 4, with Wally Hammond being hit on the chin, though he recovered to continue his innings.

Then Jardine himself faced Martindale and Constantine.

Jardine never flinched.

With Les Ames finding himself in difficulties, Jardine said, " You get yourself down this end, Les.

I'll take care of this bloody nonsense.

" He played right back to the bouncers, standing on tiptoe, and played them with a dead bat, sometimes playing the ball one handed for more control.

Whilst the Old Trafford pitch was not as suited to bodyline as the hard Australian wickets, Martindale did take 5 for 73, but Constantine only took 1 for 55.

Jardine himself made 127, his only Test century.

In the West Indian second innings, Clark bowled bodyline back to the West Indians, taking 2 for 64.

The match in the end was drawn but played a large part in turning English opinion against bodyline.

The Times used the word bodyline, without using inverted commas or using the qualification so-called, for the first time.

Wisden also said that " most of those watching it for the first time must have come to the conclusion that, while strictly within the law, it was not nice.