Douglas Jardine, Cricket's Iron Duke, was born on this day, 1900.
Two things sum him up.
First, he hated Australians with a passion.
And secondly, he hated losing. To him, cricket was nothing but war.
Let us go over the two points.
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Not only did Jardine hate Australia, he never bothered to hide his feelings.
Even before the Bodyline tour, when it became known that he had been named captain, his coach Rockley Wilson had mixed reaction: "We shall win the Ashes… but we may well lose a Dominion."
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When in Australia, he saw RAAF fighter planes above the newly built Sydney Harbour Bridge and quipped "I wish they were Japs and I wish they’d bomb that bridge into the harbour."
Hatred. There cannot be another word for it.
The press asked for the XI for the first tour match.
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