While not known for his tactical skills, Woodfull was widely admired by his players and observers for his sportsmanship and ability to mould a successful and loyal team through the strength of his character.

Upon returning to Australia, Woodfull established his partnership with Ponsford, and in 1926–27 Shield season, they put on a record-breaking 375-run opening stand, setting up a world record first-class team score of 1107.

The visitors used bodyline tactics—persistently aiming at the upper bodies and heads of the Australian batsmen in the hope of stifling the hosts' strong batting line-up.

[9] He led his team in an understated way, preferring to give broad objectives to his players and trusting them to choose their own methods to fulfil the task at hand.

[1] Although Woodfull was a devout Methodist, he would show a deep concern in the personal welfare of all players, which extended to finding the location of the nearest Catholic Church for those teammates who followed the religion.

[12] At the time, Australian society at large was divided along Catholic-Protestant lines,[13][14] and while O'Reilly and McCabe were full of praise for Woodfull,[8] they were later accused of leading a Catholic revolt against the leadership of the Protestant Bradman during a divisive period in the late-1930s.

[3] At the time, cricketers widely regarded beer as a highly effective means of rehydration,[16] and on one occasion Woodfull threatened to halt play when administrators refused his players more ale on the grounds that they had already consumed their quota.

[6] Because of a bout of rheumatic fever in childhood, Woodfull had stiff muscles and as a result was rejected when he tried to join the First Australian Imperial Force to fight in World War I.

[2][6][28] After making a duck against the Marylebone Cricket Club, which was a dress rehearsal for the Tests as the MCC fielded a virtual England team,[19] Woodfull scored an unbeaten 98 against Cambridge University before running out of partners.

[19] Woodfull made his debut in the first Test at Trent Bridge, but it was an anti-climax; Australia did not bat in a washed-out match as England reached 0/32 when rain ended play.

After opening partner Warren Bardsley was dismissed without scoring from the first ball,[31][32] Woodfull put on a second wicket partnership of 235 with Charlie Macartney to register his maiden Test century of 141.

[34] In the closing stages of the tour, Woodfull compiled his eighth and final century of the campaign, an unbeaten 116 against an England XI in a drawn match.

[19] Upon his return to Australia, he established his partnership with Bill Ponsford, and in the 1926–27 Shield season, they put on a 375-run opening stand in less than four hours,[35] which laid the foundation for the world record first-class score of 1107 against New South Wales.

[37] Woodfull recorded his career best score of 284, compiled in five and a half hours of batting,[7] during a brief tour to New Zealand as part of an Australian XI at the end of the season.

[39] The Australian board had spent a great deal of time arguing over whether Woodfull or Victor Richardson should be Ryder's deputy, before realising that the selectors had omitted the latter.

Ponsford was dismissed immediately after the teams had an audience with King George V.[50] Woodfull then made a 231-run stand with Bradman (254) in only two and a half hours and reached 155.

Woodfull and his fellow Victorian Ponsford played a significant part by making three century opening stands—162 at Lord's, 159 at The Oval and 106 at Old Trafford to help Australia take the initiative in three Tests.

[19] The Australian captain finished the season with a duck from the opening ball of the fifth Test, bowled after failing to offer a shot,[59] but Australia won by an innings and 72 runs in the equivalent of a single day's play on a sticky wicket.

[19] Utilising his hopping technique and attempting to play unorthodox shots resembling overhead tennis smashes, Bradman failed to make an impact, and England were buoyed ahead of the Tests.

[67] This caused the toss to be delayed and fomented speculation that the Australian Board of Control were considering the possibility of removing Woodfull because of his absolute refusal to allow his bowlers to use retaliatory tactics.

Minutes later Larwood, bowling to a conventional field setting, struck Woodfull an agonising blow under his heart with a short, lifting delivery.

[4][73][74] As Woodfull bent down over his bat in pain for several minutes, an image that became one of the defining symbols of the series, the huge crowd began jeering, hooting and verbally abusing the English team,[4] something that was almost unheard of for the social standards of the era.

[4][76] Whitington noted that "[Umpire] Hele believes that had what followed occurred in Melbourne the crowd would have leapt the fence and belaboured the English captain; Larwood, and possibly the entire side".

[76] Some English players later expressed fears that a large-scale riot and that the police would not be able to stop the irate home crowd, who were worried that Woodfull or Bradman could be killed, from attacking them.

[4][5] Woodfull's abrupt response was meant to be private, but it was leaked to the press and became the most famous quotation of this tumultuous period in cricket history:[2] I do not want to see you, Mr Warner.

[5] Australian singer Paul Kelly reflected on Woodfull's character in this incident in his song "Bradman": Now Bill Woodfull was as fine a man as ever went to wicket And the bruises on his body that day showed that he could stick it But to this day he's still quoted and only he could wear it 'There are two sides out there today and only one of them's playing cricket'[81] In the meantime, the second innings in Adelaide saw England set Australia a near-impossible 532 for victory; even today,[19] the highest successful Test run chase is 418.

[29][30][83] In the fifth Test in Sydney, Larwood broke a bone in his foot, but Jardine made him complete the over, even though the laws of cricket permit a captain to switch bowlers mid-over in the case of injury.

[19] Woodfull scored fifties in both interstate matches against New South Wales and added consecutive centuries for the national team against Tasmania before departing for his final tour of England.

[19] In 1934, having been reappointed to a position on the selection panel,[85] Woodfull led Australia back to England on a tour that had been under a cloud after the tempestuous cricket diplomacy of the previous bodyline series.

[8] In November 1934, the Governor-General informed him that the King had offered him a knighthood,[92] "for services to cricket",[101] The citation made a veiled reference to Woodfull's actions during the bodyline episode.