 Australia lost heavily by ten wickets in the first Test at Sydney , when the bowling spearhead of bodyline , Harold Larwood , took ten wickets . Bradman missed the first Test due to illness , although Jardine refused to believe this and thought the real reason was that the batsman had suffered a nervous breakdown due to his tactical scheme . The only Australian batsman to make an impact was Stan <unk> , who <unk> stood his ground and impulsively hooked and pulled everything aimed at his upper body , <unk> by the prospect of taking a potentially lethal blow to the head . He scored 187 not out in four hours , an innings described by leading historian David <unk> as " among the most stirring innings Test cricket has ever produced " . 
