Prior to the March 2018 ball-tampering scandal involving skipper, Steve Smith and batsman Cameron Bancroft, Australia's most notorious cricket controversy was the 1981 underarm bowling incident.
Prior to the March 2018 ball-tampering scandal involving skipper, Steve Smith and batsman Cameron Bancroft, Australia's most notorious cricket controversy was the 1981 underarm bowling incident.
This incident featured two of Australia's most renowned cricketers at the time: captain Greg Chappell and his brother, Trevor. This infamous incident has been etched into the annals of cricket history and continues to be a source of debate and discussion among cricket fans around the world.
1. What was the underarm bowling incident?
On February 1, 1981, a somber day descended upon the cricket world. Greg Chappell, in a controversial move, took advantage of a loophole to secure a victory, but in the process, he forfeited the respect of many.
It was Australia versus New Zealand, and the latter needed seven runs off the last ball to secure a victory. Trevor Chappell, the youngest brother of Greg Chappell, was bowling, and a six would have tied the game.
The skipper was in no mood to take chances. He told his brother to bowl underarm despite the wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh saying don't do it. Despite Greg's best efforts, Trevor's underarm bowling was blocked by the batsman, and Australia won by a mere six runs. Unfortunately, Greg was the subject of ridicule for his efforts.
2. Outcome of the underarm bowling incident
The incident resulted in the International Cricket Council issuing a ban on the underarm bowl, deeming it to be "not within the spirit of the game". This decision was met with widespread disapproval from cricket fans around the world, as the underarm bowl had been a staple of the sport for centuries.
In 1982, Australia embarked on a tour of New Zealand. During the first One Day International of the tour, a spectator rolled a lawn bowl onto the pitch as Greg Chappell walked out to bat, a mocking reminder of the incident from the previous year.
3. Public reaction
The incident gained widespread attention, with then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser declaring it to be "contrary to the traditions of the game".
New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon was even more scathing in his assessment, describing the underarm bowl as "the most disgraceful incident in the history of cricket" and noting that it was "an act of true cowardice" that the Australian team were wearing yellow.
According to the February 2, 1981 edition of the Christchurch newspaper, The Press, former Australian cricket captain Richie Benaud declared in his television commentary that the infamous underarm bowl was "utterly spineless". Benaud's scathing assessment of the controversial delivery sparked a heated debate among cricket fans around the world.
4. Greg Chappell’s explanation
In later years, Greg Chappell revealed that he had been pushed to his limits after a grueling season of cricket, and that, in hindsight, he was not in the right mental state to be captain at the time. The match had been played in the sweltering heat, and Chappell (who had scored 90 in the Australian innings and then bowled 10 overs to the New Zealanders) had been on the field for the majority of it. At the 40-over mark of the New Zealand innings, Chappell told wicketkeeper Rod Marsh that he wanted to leave the field. Marsh, who described Chappell as being physically and mentally exhausted, said that was not possible, and that Chappell had no choice but to see out the match. Despite being captain and arranging bowling changes and field placings, Chappell spent several overs fielding on the boundary due to the overwhelming pressure of the situation and the oppressive conditions.
5. Glenn McGrath bowls underarm in New Zealand
On February 17, 2005, more than two decades after the infamous underarm delivery, Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath jokingly revisited the incident in the inaugural Twenty20 international between Australia and New Zealand. In the final over of the match, McGrath playfully mimicked an underarm delivery to Kyle Mills, prompting New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden to pretend to show a red card. As New Zealand needed more than 44 runs to win off the last delivery, the result of the game was never in doubt, and the crowd warmly welcomed the lighthearted gesture.
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