by Arunabha Sengupta
By the time the final Test at The Oval was about to begin, Don Bradman had scored 742 runs in four Tests at 123.66, and 2290 runs on the tour at 95.42.
With the series tied 1-1, there were serious thoughts of calling SF Barnes back into the England team for the Timeless final Test. At 57, he was bowling brilliantly for Staffordshire, and had just taken 12 for 29 against Denbighshire and 7 for 20 against Lancashire second XI. The previous year the South Africans had declared him the best bowler they had met all tour. He would finish 1930 topping the second class averages with 51 wickets at 5.74. For Rochdale in Central Lancashire League, his 89 wickets came at 8.22.
However, that was too drastic a step for the MCC selectors. Leslie Duckworth, the biographer of Barnes, held it against them for preventing the world from witnessing a Bradman-Barnes duel. One had just turned 22, the other 57, but it could have been a fascinating contest.
But in they went with Larwood, Tate, Peebles … with Wyatt, Hammond and Leyland providing support. The long batting line up helped them score 405, Sutcliffe peerless during his 161.
With rain and bad light holding up play on the second day, Bradman walked in at 5.12, after Woodfull and Ponsford had added 159 for the first wicket. He proceeded to 27 not out by the end of the day.
The following day was once again interrupted by rain. Bradman batted through it. He reached 50 in an hour and 39 minutes. At 82 he had given a hard chance at the wicket off Hammond, but other than that he was flawless. At 1.05 pm essayed a lovely late cut off Larwood to get to his 100.
Back home in Bowral, a girl named Dorothy Pickle had been jotting down his scores. When the hundred was announced on wireless, she gasped and swallowed the fountain pen. She was rushed to Sydney Hospital, where her first words on recovery was “He’s a great boy, isn’t he?”
His innings was paused at 112 and 129 by the bad light. And by the end of the day he was 130 not out after four hours and 28 minutes.
The following day, 20 Aug 1930, saw the death of Charles Bannerman in Sydney. The first Test centurion of them all passed away close to the cricket ground.
The day also saw Larwood and Hammond make the ball fly on a wicket made difficult by rain. At 175 Bradman received a blow on the chest, after which he started drawing away from the ball. Archie Jackson at the other end was also struggling.
It is said that this phase of play was watched by Percy Fender and he communicated Bradman’s discomfort to Jardine, also showing him a brief film on it that he had been able to capture. The seeds of Bodyline were thus sown.
But, at 12.55, Bradman reached 200, his third double hundred of the series. In all Test cricket, only Hammond had two double hundreds till then. 228 at lunch, he fell 20 minutes after the break, trying to square cut Larwood at 232.
The runs came off 408 balls, in seven hours and 18 minutes, and included 16 fours. The runs were less fluent than at Lord’s and Leeds, mainly cuts and placements to the leg.
Australia won by an innings and 39 runs, clinching the series, on 22 August, the birthday of skipper Woodfull. “We owe a tremendous lot to Bradman,” the captain said.
Bradman ended with 974 runs in the series at 139.14, overall 2960 runs at 98.66 on the tour.