bodyline
Sign in to savethumb|300px|Bill Woodfull evades a bodyline ball.
Article
20 sectionsContents
- Definition and etymology
- Genesis
- Leg theory bowling
- Don Bradman
- Douglas Jardine
- Ashes series of 1932–33
- Early development on tour
- First two Test matches
- Third Test match
- The cable exchange
- The end of the series
- In England
- Changes to the laws of cricket
- Reaction
- Legacy
- Notes and references
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|300px|Bill Woodfull evades a bodyline ball.
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. It was designed to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's leading batsman, Don Bradman. A bodyline delivery was one in which the cricket ball was bowled at pace, aimed at the body of the batsman in the expectation that when he defended himself with his bat, a resulting deflection could be caught by one of several fielders deliberately placed nearby on the leg side.