The story of this place
In January 1933, England's cricketers unleashed the Bodyline bowling strategy at Adelaide Oval — a tactic of bowling directly at Australian batsmen's bodies at high speed, intended to suppress the peerless Don Bradman. The series was so violent and controversial that it strained relations between Australia and Britain to breaking point. The Australian Cricket Board sent cables to London warning the tactic was 'unsportsmanlike' and 'likely to upset friendly relations.' Britain's Parliament briefly discussed the crisis. Adelaide Oval was ground zero for cricket's most infamous controversy.
Built in 1871 on the banks of the River Torrens, Adelaide Oval is consistently rated among the world's most beautiful cricket grounds, with its village church spire and scoreboard framed by the Moreton Bay fig trees. Its famous hand-operated scoreboard, built in 1911, is still in use — one of the last of its kind in the world. The ground also famously hosted the 'Tied Test' of 1960 — cricket's only tied Test match for over 70 years.