Recently, the Australian opener Travis Head shared a warm gesture with the England opener Ben Duckett. It happened after a rapid conclusion of the forth Test when Head revealed that he had reached out to Duckett expressing support. However, this is not the first time when an Aussie player stood by an English player.

 

What exactly happened to Duckett? Basically the England team has gone to a party at Noosa in the long gap between the second and the third Test. Before the fourth Test, a video surfaced before the third Test where Ben Duckett was visibly drunk while a passerby tried to help him out.

 

The England and Wales Cricket Board has started an investigation, but the fact that the fans lashed out at Duckett was unprecedented. However, prior to this, there was Don Bradman, who had literally intervened to stop bodyline bowling to England in the 1949 Ashes.

 

1948 Ashes- fear or respect for the gentleman's game?

 

"The Invincibles" Ashes in 1948 saw the legendary Australian captain Don Bradman intervening on the field and asking his bowlers not to bowl any short-pitched balls. Well, this has a background, where Bradman showed his protective nature to his players and sportsmanship that went to the extent of apologizing.

 

In the third Test earlier, Australia had been bowling bouncers. Later, England’s bowler Alec Bedser returned the favour by bowling a bouncer that hit Australian fast bowler Ray Lindwall on the hand while he was batting.

 

When Lindwall was struck, the English crowd cheered, which was seen as provocative and unsporting by some Australians. 

 

England batsman Bill Edrich came in to bat later in the innings. Despite Bradman advising his bowlers not to retaliate with short-pitched bowling at Edrich—fearing it would look like vindictive tactics and stir controversy reminiscent of Bodyline—Keith Miller bowled a string of short balls that struck Edrich and riled spectators.

 

Bradman intervened, ordered Miller to stop the barrage, and then apologized to Edrich on the field. This was widely interpreted as a gesture to uphold the spirit of the game and avoid unnecessary hostility.

 

The early encounter with Bill Edrich, 1938 Tour

 

Before the 1948 Ashes, Bradman had been generous to Edrich playing for Middlesex, allowing the later to complete 1000 first class runs. Scoring 1,000 runs before the end of May was (and still is) extremely rare in English first-class cricket — only achieved by very few players, and Bradman himself had done it twice. That rarity made the moment even more meaningful, especially because it involved an opponent rather than a teammate.

 

The incident occurred during Australia’s 1938 tour of England in a first-class match against Middlesex at Lord’s. Bill Edrich was on the brink of the landmark, needing only a handful of runs as the match moved into its closing stages. Australia, led by Bradman, were firmly in control and could have comfortably declared earlier, limiting Middlesex’s batting time and effectively ending Edrich’s chances.

 

Instead, Bradman chose to delay his declaration, consciously allowing Middlesex extra time to bat. The decision was not about easing the contest—Australia still bowled seriously—but about giving Edrich a fair opportunity to reach a milestone earned through form and persistence. Edrich made the most of it, scoring the required runs to reach 1,000 before the end of May.