A strong domestic season in 1908–09 – 748 runs from 9 innings at an average of 83.11 – led to Bardsley's inclusion in the 1909 Australian squad to tour England for the Ashes.

After making his debut at Edgbaston, in the city of Birmingham, Bardsley struggled for runs in the Test arena, returning scores of 2, 6, 46, 0, 30, 2, 9 and 35 in his first eight innings.

[3] It also created a record for the highest individual score in a Test Match at Lord's (beaten in 1930 by Bradman's 254).

[4] After his retirement from Test and first-class cricket, Bardsley would briefly serve as a national selector.

This longevity was attributed to rigorous exercise, rarely eating meat, and abstaining from alcohol and tobacco.

The last time they met, leaving the funeral of Dr. Rowley Pope, Jack Fingleton asked Bardsley his thoughts: "I was just thinking," said the old cricketer, "what a great bloke old Doc was.