1. Bodyline Australia vs. MCC (England), 1932-33
What else could be number one in this rundown? The Bodyline series remains one of the most controversial series in cricketing history, a series which is cemented into the history of the Ashes and which remains a bone of contention among fans. For England fans, it represents trying to win by any means within the rules of the game; for Australians, its an indicator that the Poms are terrible sportsmen who can only win by playing dirty. Bodyline, or fast leg theory, was a tactic created by England (specifically the MCC) to restrict the Australian great Sir Donald Bradman during the 1932-33 Ashes in Australia. Bradman had averaged 139.14 in the last series, which Australia won 2-1, and was still averaging over 100. Douglas Jardine, the MCC captain, came across footage from the Oval Test in 1930 which showed Bradman flinching at short, fast-pitched bowling on leg stump. Before the tour, Jardine enlisted Nottinghamshire bowlers Harold Larwood and Bill Voce, and instructed them to bowl fast and short on leg stump, i.e. in the line of the body. The idea was to restrict batsmen from playing on the off-side, forcing them into pull or hook shots which would be dealt with by a packed leg-side field.
Jardine used bodyline sparingly in the warm-up matches, and going into the third test at Adelaide the series was poised at 1-1. But then all hell broke loose as Australian captain Bill Woodfull was struck on the heart by Harold Larwood. Jardine responded by shouting Well bowled, Harold and immediately arranged his fielders into the bodyline field. The repeated use of bodyline almost led to riots in the crowd, who regarded it as kicking a man when he was down. After Woodfull was dismissed for 22, having sustained numerous bruises in a 90-minute stand, he retreated to the changing rooms and uttered those famous words: There are two teams out there, one is playing cricket. The other is making no attempt to do so. The day after Woodfulls barrage, Australian wicket-keeper Bert Oldfield had his skull fractured by a Larwood lifter. By now the ACB and MCC were in heated discussions via cable over the ethics of Bodyline, with the former party accusing the latter of bad sportsmanship and threatening to call off the other matches. Then their respective governments got involved, with the Governor of South Australia warning the British Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs that trade between the nations would decline unless the matter was sorted out. Things were eventually resolved when Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons met with the ACB, warning them of the economic hardship that would result from a British boycott of Australian trade. The ACB withdrew its complaint of bad sportsmanship and the other matches went ahead. Bodyline represented a departure from the Victorian notions of sportsmanship, foreshadowing the out-and-out aggression that would be typified by the West Indies in the 1970s and 1980s. It led to debates about the rules of cricket versus the spirit of the game, since there was nothing technically illegal in Englands tactics. It re-opened imperial wounds, with Britains quest for the Ashes coming to be seen as a fallen powers search to recapture some form of dominion. And it made cricket into an issue of national importance, for better or worse.
What Happened Next: England won the series 4-1. Jardine resigned from the England captaincy after the 1934 tour to India. Larwood never played for England again, eventually emigrating to Australia where he was welcomed and rehabilitated. The MCC subsequently changed the laws of cricket to allow umpires to intervene if players were deemed to be getting hurt, and to restrict the number of fielders on the leg side.