1981 Australia’s shame: the underarm bowling affair
Australians have a reputation as ruthless athletic competitors. Cricket is a sport which prides itself on gentlemanly behaviour. Sometimes these two impulses collide, as in the case of the infamous end to a one-day international match between Australia and New Zealand.
One ball remained to be bowled with Australia leading, but should the New Zealand batter, Brian McKechnie, hit it in the air out of the field of play, he would score six runs and New Zealand would win. In order to make that strike impossible, Australian captain Greg Chappell instructed the bowler, his brother Trevor, to roll the ball underhand along the ground. This was entirely legal but very much not “in the spirit of the game”.
As Trevor Chappell bowled, his other brother Ian, in the commentary box reporting on the game, cried out “No, Greg, no, you can’t do that!” Richie Benaud, a famed Australian cricketer and former captain, was commentating on television and instantly voiced his dismay. He called it “disgraceful” and said it was “one of the worst things I have ever seen done on a cricket field.” The New Zealand Prime Minister was no less heated. He said Chappell’s decision “an act of true cowardice” and he considered it appropriate that the Australian team were wearing yellow. Even the Australian Prime Minister said it was against the traditions of the sport.
Greg Chappell soon regretted his actions and blamed it on fatigue. Thirty-nine years later the incident is still remembered and considered a black day in Australian sporting history. And that’s why I love cricket.