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Harold Larwood

Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood Cigarette Card Crop.jpg
Personal information
Full name Harold Larwood
Born (1904-11-14)14 November 1904
Nuncargate, Nottinghamshire, England
Died 22 July 1995(1995-07-22) (aged 90)
Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Batting style Right-handed
Bowling style Right arm fast
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 225) 26 June 1926 v Australia
Last Test 28 February 1933 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years Team
1924–1938 Nottinghamshire
1936–1937 Europeans (India)
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 21 361
Runs scored 485 7,290
Batting average 19.40 19.91
100s/50s 0/2 3/25
Top score 98 102 not out
Balls bowled 4,969 58,027
Wickets 78 1,427
Bowling average 28.35 17.51
5 wickets in innings 4 98
10 wickets in match 1 20
Best bowling 6/32 9/41
Catches/stumpings 15/– 234/–
Source: [1], 8 January 2009

Harold Larwood (14 November 1904 – 22 July 1995) was a professional cricketer for Nottinghamshire and England between 1924 and 1938. A right-arm fast bowler who combined unusual speed with great accuracy, he was considered by many commentators to be the finest bowler of his generation. He was the main exponent of the bowling style known as "bodyline", the use of which during the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) tour of Australia in 1932–33 caused a furore that brought about a premature and acrimonious end to his international career.

A coal miner's son who began working in the mines at the age of 14, Larwood was recommended to Nottinghamshire on the basis of his performances in club cricket, and rapidly acquired a place among the country's leading bowlers. He made his Test debut in 1926, in only his second season in first-class cricket, and was a member of the 1928–29 touring side that retained the Ashes in Australia. The advent of the Australian batsman Don Bradman ended a period of English cricket supremacy; Larwood and other bowlers were completely dominated by Bradman during Australia's victorious tour of 1930. Thereafter, under the guidance of England's combative captain Douglas Jardine, the fast leg theory or bodyline bowling attack was developed. With Larwood as its spearhead the tactic was used with considerable success in the 1932–33 Test series in Australia. The Australians' description of the method as "unsportsmanlike" soured cricketing relations between the two countries; during subsequent efforts to heal the breach, Larwood refused to apologise for his bowling, since he was carrying out his captain's instructions. He never played for England after the 1932–33 tour, but continued his county career with considerable success for several more seasons.


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Wikipedia

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