Douglas Jardine: Spartan Cricketer

When Douglas Jardine and his team set sail for Australia in September 1932, a controversy was raging in Australia between Don Bradman himself and the Australian Cricket Board. Bradman had entered into a contract with the Sydney Sun to report the 1932/1933 Test series and thus was in direct contravention of the Australian Board's rules governing Test players. Until a compromise was reached it seemed that Bradman would not be playing in the Tests. By the time the series was over another controversy had taken centre stage and was still raging. It was all about Jardine's use of "body line" bowling tactics which effectively contained the Australian batsmen and Don Bradman in particular. Jardine and his team won back the Ashes but cricket purists were appalled by the methods used. Jardine was ostracised by the English authorities and left the game soon afterwards. He died a rather forgotten figure in Switzerland aged 58. This biography explores Jardine the man, by background (public school, Oxford) of the establishment; and Jardine the cricketer, the aloof amateur with a ruthlesness more akin to modern day professionalism, in his quest for victory.