Lives in Cricket No 18 - FR Foster

David Frith’s masterly story of the 1932/33 series, in his book Bodyline Autopsy , but I feel justified in looking at the matter from Foster’s point of view. Certainly he was brought into the bodyline furore. Perhaps I might quote from unpublished notes in my possession, undated but seemingly written by Foster during or after the bodyline series. A few weeks ago I saw in Australian newspapers that my name had been used in connexion with body-line bowling twenty years ago. There was no such thing as body-line bowling twenty years ago. Some people have said I originated leg-theory bowling. That may be so, but there is a vast difference between leg-theory and body-line. The word body-line was never used by Australian critics when I was bowling but in the last few months they have used it a very great deal and personally I think they have been justified. I will give you my reasons for making that statement. It is my considered opinion that no right-handed fast bowler should ever attempt to bowl leg-theory. It is dangerous to the batsman, even on the perfect wickets of Australia, and on the best wickets in England. A right-hand fast bowler who sets his field on the leg side immediately becomes a body-line bowler, because the batsman has no time to get away from a short pitched ball. Another point, no left-handed fast bowler should ever bowl over the wicket. 65 If he does, to a leg-side field, he also becomes a body-line bowler. Why? Because a left-arm bowler, bowling over the wicket, cannot possibly see all three stumps. 66 There is only one legitimate way for a fast bowler to bowl leg-theory and get away with it without causing friction and trouble. That bowler must be left handed and must bowl round the wicket. His objective must be leg stump, not the leg of the batsman. A left arm bowler bowling round the wicket is in a position to see all three stumps, and even if he packs the leg side with all his fielders he can never be accused of bowling anything else other than leg-theory if he bowls a good length ball. No fast bowler should ever try to intimidate a batsman by bowling bumpers. A bowler who deliberately bowls short pitched balls cannot by any stretch of the imagination kid himself he is playing cricket. He should be called aside by his captain who should impress upon him that he is not playing the game.’ Foster goes on to reproduce the contents of a personal letter he wrote to the 1933 county captains: I think you will recognise my name at the end of this letter as being that of an old County Captain, and you will no doubt recall that the English and Australian press of 1933 attributed to me the doubtful honour of originating leg-theory (body-line) bowling on the cricket fields of Australia in 1911/12. I took great exception to this because there is a great difference between leg theory and body-line as I stated in a cable The shambolic 1930s 101 65 This writer did but he was not at all fast! 66 Foster is assuming all batsmen to be right-handers, of course.