The LBW law was changed in the 1930s so that a batsman could be out if the ball pitched off side but hit him in line with the wicket.
That meant that batsmen could just pad the ball away as long as it was not in line, wicket to wicket, when it hit the pad.
The law was changed again in the 1970s so that even if the ball pitched off side and hit the batsman outwith the line of the wicket, he could be out, playing no stroke, as long as the ball would have hit the wicket.