Jardine missed most of the 1922 season owing to a serious knee injury; he played only four matches at a time when he was expected to make a big impression.[24] He missed the Cambridge match and was unable to play for Surrey that season.[33] Even so, in 1922 he was selected by The Isis as one of its men of the year.[34] After some problems with his troublesome knee, Jardine returned to cricket by May of the 1923 season. He was not given the Oxford captaincy in his final year, which has led to later speculation that his manner and unfriendliness was held against him. However, his injury and the availability of other deserving candidates may have provided some of the explanation.[35][36] Jardine gradually found his batting form, and contributed to Oxford's only win over Cambridge in the decade.[37] During one innings of another match, he received criticism for using his pads to stop the ball from hitting the wickets: this was within the laws of the game but was controversial and seen by critics to be against the spirit of the game.