To say former Australia Test wicket-keeper Bert Oldfield lived an extraordinary life would be an understatement: incarcerated in a dungeon in Egypt, working in a venereal disease clinic, surviving a bomb blast which killed his comrades in the First World War, defying overwhelming odds to wear the Baggy Green to become his country’s premier gloveman, being one of the first to discover a young Don Bradman; getting his skull fractured in the flashpoint of the controversial Bodyline series, touring through Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on the eve of global conflict, enlisting again to serve his country throughout the Second World War...and save a lion from death row with half-an-hour to spare...Oldfield did it all. Bodyline Casualty – the Bert Oldfield Story will explore previously unknown details of his war service, his part in the Bodyline series, his role in the development of women’s cricket, his kind gesture to England captain Douglas Jardine, his testy relationship with Don Bradman and friendship with former combatant England fast bowler Harold Larwood as well as how the knocks he sustained on the battlefield and the cricket field may have contributed to his eventual death. Why This Book Matters: The book also explores the severe head injuries Bert Oldfield sustained during his military service in World War I and while keeping wicket, including a career-altering blow from a bouncer. These injuries had long-lasting effects on his health, highlighting the dangers athletes faced in an era when head trauma was not fully understood or treated as it is today. Bodyline Casualty brings attention to Bert’s incredible legacy while opening an important conversation about the lasting impact of head injuries in sport—an issue that is only now receiving the attention it deserves in modern discussions around athlete safety.