Don Bradman, pictured in 1938, led Australia to victory in the 1936-37 Ashes series after England took a 2-lead: 0. Photo: Getty Images
Only one team has ever come back 2-0 to win the Ashes series. It may or may not have something to do with Ben Stokes' predicament. Anyway, it's a funny story.
The English group set sail on the Orion for Southampton on 12 September 1936 and were away for seven and a half months (compared to less than seven weeks this time). Ashes series). Their captain was George, or rather “Gabby” Allen, who had refused to bowl the Bodyline on England's previous tour of Australia in 1932-33. As the only amateur among Douglas Jardine's bowlers, Allen used his status to refuse.
In terms of improving Anglo-Australian relations in general after Bodyline, Allen was the smart choice. Harold Larwood was effectively banned, but his teammate Bill Voce, a fast left, was again selected for Allen's tour on the condition that he hit the ball up.
It was the first tour of Australia where English amateurs and professionals called each other by their first names – no longer “sir” – except of course Allen, who was the “skipper”. This change helped develop the spirit of the team, which contributed to the fact that England performed well, up to a 2-0 increase in the score.
It was also the first cricket tour of England to receive press attention. From the 1800s, players were accompanied by one or two journalists, but after the Bodyline, all major newspapers were represented. Including Sir Neville Cardus, as he became, for the Manchester Guardian, which resulted in one of the best books on cricket – “Australian Summer”.
Cardus captured the journey like no other. “We suddenly stumbled upon the Cocos Islands on a windy morning… All the adventure stories of my youth came to life; Stevenson, Ballantyne, Defoe were here. On a small beach, quiet and deserted, there must have been a trace of Friday. In the stormy sea, two small boats daringly approached to take from the Orion a barrel of quarterly rations for a handful of people working on the islands supporting the Empire and the White Man's Burden. On the Orion, we all leaned over the side and waved goodbye … “It gives a lump to the throat,” said William Vause from Nottinghamshire. train without alcohol. Instead, everyone had to listen to former English batsman-turned-journalist CC Fry talking about more than just his long jump world record.
“To everyone's surprise, England won at Brisbane,” Cardus wrote. This was to be the last time in 50 years, barring the 1978-79 victory over Australia by the 2nd XI. They won despite a Rory Burns-like start: Stan Worthington hooked on the first ball of the series and was caught behind.
David Lloyd (“Bumble”) remembers Worthington, who became the coach of Lancashire after his career as a dashing batsman in Derbyshire. “He was tough,” Bumble recalled. “He was even harsher when the Lancashire Seconds stayed at the guest house and used their fedora to play rugby.” Worthington never mentioned his first Brisbane ball.
England won the first and second tests with the help of rain: the Australian fields were still not covered during the match and turned into glue pots. The key was to win the toss and hit before the rain. Allen won the toss in the first Test, although to be fair, England were winning before the storm.
Don Bradman, as captain of the Australian team, decided not to hit No. 3 after the storm, but to hang on to No. 5, but to no avail as he “lost a second ball, also from Allen. It hit the shoulder area of his bat, and he could do nothing but instinctively strike, as aimless as a man clicking on the spin of a wasp or a mosquito, ”wrote Cardus. “He was gleefully caught by [Arthur] Fagg and Allen hugged himself. Australia was seven out of four.”
Australia was sacked at 58, the lowest at home in the 20th century. Allen and Vause only needed 12.3 overs to round them up, but those were eight-ball overs.
The second test went in the same way. England, having won the toss, scored enough points in their first innings, Wally Hammond scored 231 goals without losing. Then it began to rain in Sydney, or as Cardus wrote: “In the early morning I was awakened by the sound of music, the sweetest I had heard since I left England and Sir Thomas Beecham.” Australia were sacked at 80 (Bradman c Allen b Watche 0) and lost the innings. England led 2-0; Bradman had yet to fire.
“I'm afraid the poor fellow won't make it.”
Like Shane Warne, Bradman liked to be friends with some of the English press. Cardus reveals that Bradman personally told him before the series about his plans to win rubber.
“The whole evening he discussed cricket – we were alone in his house. At 11 o'clock he told me that he would have to kick me out because he had to call the hospital. But since the hospital was on its way to my hotel, he took me to Adelaide on a night of extraordinary beauty. He ran up the steps of the hospital while I waited in the car. After a while, he returned, got behind the wheel and said: “I'm afraid the poor fellow will not pass.” The next morning, the death of Bradman's child was announced.
At New Year's Trials in Melbourne, Bradman found his form. This time he won the toss and hit until it rained. In the second inning of Australia, with the field still wet, Bradman advanced his shanks to buy time until the field was dry. Finishing in 7th place, 97th out of five, Bradman joined Jack Fingleton, who previously had the highest score in all tests, 346, and contributed 270 himself.
What chances did England have when Bradman was himself and the field was flat and dry? Not if he also won the toss. The series slipped away like a climber losing his grip on a cliff. In the fourth Test, Bradman scored 212 points to tie the game at 2–2. In the fifth, he scored 169 as Australia won the match by serve and the series 3–2.
The outlook for Stokes and his team is not as repulsive, although Steve Smith is closer than any Australian to emulating Bradman's technique and huge scores. “Concentration is the main reason for his skill,” Cardus wrote of Bradman.
Even so, it was a bitter pill for Allen and his team. So close yet so far away and it's been almost 20 years since England won the Ashes series in Australia.
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