Australian captain compares NZ test to ‘Bodyline’

Tim Paine’s victorious Australians are expecting the trans-Tasman fight to resemble the legendary Bodyline series after the hosts thrashed New Zealand in a bruising first test.

Batsmen from both sides were bombarded with a barrage of bumpers during a brutal encounter as fire and brimstone cricket returned to Perth.

More than half the 39 wickets to fall at Optus Stadium came from short-pitched bowling on a lively deck, bringing back memories of the fiery Waca surfaces of yesteryear.

Matthew Wade was struck on the thumb by Black Caps enforcer Neil Wagner during a torrid spell on Sunday, while BJ Watling was hit on the grille by a nasty lifter from Pat Cummins. Both men were able to bat on.

The 1932-33 Ashes series became known as Bodyline for the tactic of intimidatory bowling at the body devised by England captain Douglas Jardine as a method of quelling the great Don Bradman.

The tactic was used to great effect in Perth by Wagner and Australia’s pace duo Mitchell Starc and Cummins. No player has bowled more short balls than Wagner in a test on Australian soil since 2006.

The hosts lost a flurry of wickets on Saturday night, while the Kiwis buckled the following day as Australia won by 296 runs.

Paine is expecting the Kiwis to continue dishing up the short stuff as the series heads to Melbourne for the Boxing Day test starting next Thursday.

‘‘One thing I know is our boys won’t be getting any slower as the series goes on,’’ he said. ‘‘It was great theatre, wasn’t it? We were just having a laugh before when we were bowling at their tail, we think it’s going to be a bit of Bodyline for a lot of the series.

‘‘There’s been a lot of talk about it, but regardless of the pace of the two teams, they are very, very skilled at executing that [short] ball.

‘‘They set great fields for it. It’s a completely different challenge from what you get from other teams. They’re very good at it. They’re very clever.

‘‘There were times when we handled it really well and times when we just made some poor decisions, but we’re aware of that and we’ll continue to keep working on it heading into Melbourne.’’

– Sydney Morning Herald