During a 20-year playing career, Bradman consistently scored at a level that made him, in the words of former Australia captain Bill Woodfull, " worth three batsmen to Australia ".

After scoring a century in his second match, Woodfull was promoted to open the following season, and he opened for the rest of his career.

The following season, restored to his customary position, Woodfull had his most successful Test series in his career, against South Africa, scoring 421 runs at 70. 17, including his Test highest score of 161 ; Australia won all five Tests.

Woodfull attended Melbourne High School and his early career was unremarkable.

The following season, Woodfull was promoted to open and his consistent performances in all conditions meant that he was to play there for the rest of his career.

Overall, Woodfull had scored 305 runs at a moderate 33. 89 average — it was the slowest scoring rate for his career, but significantly, he had defied the English bowling for over twenty hours in total, more than any other Australian.

Outside cricket, Woodfull had a successful career as a mathematics teacher at Melbourne High School, and was headmaster for six years.

He was also known for his involvement in several cricket diplomacy incidents in his career, accused of leaking the infamous verbal exchange between Australian captain Bill Woodfull and English manager Plum Warner during the acrimonious Bodyline series, and later of causing sectarian tension within the team by leading a group of players of Irish Catholic descent in undermining the leadership of the Protestant Don Bradman.

Following the retirement of captain Bill Woodfull at the end of the tour, McCabe became Australia ’ s vice-captain and held the post for the rest of his career.

Although England easily won 4 – 1, Woodfull stood firm to score three centuries in the last four Tests, and added his best first-class score for 275 not out in a tour match against the Englishmen.

Woodfull opened for the entire series, and returned his best ever series figures of 421 at 70. 17, second only to Bradman.

When Australia began their innings, Chapman held a catch from Bill Woodfull in the gully which several observers rated as among the best they had seen.

He only played in two Tests against South Africa in Brisbane and Sydney in 1931 and could probably be considered unlucky to have arrived at his best years at the same time as cricketing greats such as Don Bradman, Bill Ponsford, Bill Woodfull, Archie Jackson, Stan McCabe and Alan Kippax.

As rain threatened to end the match between Victoria and MCC in 1928-29, the MCC bowler Fred Barratt rolled the ball along to allow Bill Woodfull to score a four to complete his hundred and Victoria to win.

Upon returning to Australia, Woodfull established his partnership with Ponsford, and in 1926 – 27 Shield season, they put on a record-breaking 375-run opening stand, setting up a world record first-class team score of 1107.

Macartney launched a vicious counterattack and became the second Australian to score a Test century before lunch on the opening day ; this bold play helped Woodfull to settle in and the Australians to seize the initiative on a bowler-friendly surface.

After scoring 65 against Lancashire, Woodfull made it back-to-back Test centuries in the fourth Test at Old Trafford with 117, the highest score of the innings.

In a tour match against the Englishmen, Woodfull made 275 not out for Victoria, his highest score for his state.

Ahead of the Tests, Victoria defeated the tourists by an innings and 254, but Woodfull was unable to score any runs against his Test opponents, making a duck.

It was the second successive Test season in which Woodfull had saved his highest Test score of the series for his home crowd.

Woodfull continued on to score an unbeaten 73, carrying his bat as his teammates capitulated around him.

McCabe came to the wicket on the first day, the score at 3 / 82 with Bill Woodfull, Bill Ponsford and Jack Fingleton already dismissed, and Bradman not playing due to illness.

Woodfull made 22 as Australia replied to England's 440 with 284.

In the closing stages of the tour, Woodfull compiled his eighth and final century of the campaign, an unbeaten 116 against an England XI in a drawn match.

Woodfull made eight centuries during the tour and topped the Australian averages and was named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

In 1927 – 28 Australian season, Woodfull played in five matches and was highly productive in the last three.

The teams returned to Melbourne for the fifth Test, where Woodfull scored 102 and 35 in front of his home crowd as Australia won by five wickets.

Australia led by 106 on the first innings and although Woodfull was so concerned with batting England out of the match that he declared with less than five hours remaining on the final day, his men went on to win by 238 runs, albeit with only ten minutes of play remaining.

Ponsford was dismissed immediately after the teams had an audience with King George V. Woodfull then made a 231-run stand with Bradman ( 254 ) in only two and a half hours and reached 155.

When Woodfull was captaining Australia, Hammond only averaged half as much as he did when another player was captaining Australia.

Australia had one of the strongest batting line-ups ever in the early 1930s, with Bradman, Archie Jackson, Stan McCabe, Bill Woodfull and Bill Ponsford.

However, the trouble began when Bill Woodfull was struck on the chest by a Larwood delivery, drawing the comment from Jardine of " Well bowled, Harold ", aimed mainly at Bradman who was also batting at the time.

Despite being regarded as the last man picked for the tour, Woodfull headed the batting averages in the first-class matches and was third in the Tests.

Woodfull was uncomfortable batting out of position, scoring six, 58 and 17 in the first three Tests.

Then, Woodfull opened Australia's batting with Jack Fingleton, who was dismissed straight away for a duck.

Woodfull ( left ) walks out to open the batting with Vic Richardson in the final Bodyline Test.

Woodfull relied on O ' Reilly and Grimmett, using only three specialist bowlers as he sought to reinforce the batting line-up.

With retirements of both Woodfull and Ponsford following the 1934 tour to England, positions at the top of the Australia's batting order became available.

He was retained as opener upon Ponsford's return for the Third Test, with Woodfull dropping down the order in a reshuffled batting line-up.

Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and national captain.

However, he was made vice-captain to Vic Richardson for the tour, with Woodfull and Ponsford having retired, and Bradman ill. McCabe enjoyed more success, heading the Test batting figures with 420 runs at 84. 00.