Underarm bowling incident of 1981 - Wikipedia
The underarm bowling incident of 1981 took place on 1 February 1981, when Australia played New Zealand in a One Day International cricket match, the third in the best-of-five final of the 1980-81 World Series Cup, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[1] With one ball of the final over remaining, New Zealand required a six to tie the match. To ensure that New Zealand did not get the runs they needed, the Australian captain, Greg Chappell, instructed his bowler (and younger brother), Trevor Chappell, to deliver the last ball to Brian McKechnie underarm, along the ground. This action was legal at the time, but nevertheless seen as being against the spirit of cricketing fair play.
The delivery
New Zealand needed 6 runs to tie the match from the final ball, with eight wickets down. Greg Chappell, the Australian captain, instructed the bowler (his brother Trevor) to bowl underarm in a bid to prevent the Number 10 New Zealand batsman (Brian McKechnie) from getting under the delivery with sufficient power and elevation to hit a six. Bowling underarm was within the laws of cricket at the time (though against the rules of the Benson and Hedges County Cup Tournament in England), but perceived as unsportsmanlike.
In accordance with protocol, both umpires were informed that the final ball would be delivered underarm. It ended up being rolled along the pitch.
McKechnie blocked the ball away and then threw his bat in frustration, giving Australia a 6-run victory. The New Zealand batsmen walked off in disgust. The New Zealand captain, Geoff Howarth, ran onto the field to plead with the umpires. Howarth believed underarm bowling to be illegal, as per the rules in the English tournaments.
In the confusion before the final ball was bowled, one of the Australian fielders, Dennis Lillee, did not walk into place, meaning that technically the ball should have been a no-ball, because Australia had one too many fielders outside the field restriction line. If the umpires had noticed this, New Zealand would have been awarded one run, and the final ball re-bowled.
Reactions
As the ball was being bowled, Ian Chappell (elder brother of Greg and Trevor, and a former Australian captain), who was commentating on the match, was heard to call out "No, Greg, no, you can't do that" in an instinctive reaction to the incident, and he remained critical in a later newspaper article on the incident.
Commentating for Channel 9 at the time, former Australian captain Richie Benaud described the act as "disgraceful" and said it was "one of the worst things I have ever seen done on a cricket field".
New Zealand cricketer Warren Lees recounted the underarm incident on New Zealand's 20/20 current affairs show, on Thursday 17 February 2005. He said that after the affair there was a long silence in the dressing room, which was broken suddenly and unexpectedly by fellow player Mark Burgess smashing a tea cup.
After the incident, the then Prime Minister of New Zealand, Robert Muldoon, described it as "the most disgusting incident I can recall in the history of cricket", going on to say that "it was an act of true cowardice and I consider it appropriate that the Australian team were wearing yellow". Even the Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Fraser, called the act "contrary to the traditions of the game".
BBC Archive - 1981: News: Underarm Bowling - Bing video
Brian McKechnie, the batsman facing Chappell, was a dual international - an All Black at the time. There is no doubt he had a chance to square the match. He was capable.....the odds were against him, but he was cruelly denied the chance.
It was indeed a moment that most Kiwi's who witnessed it will never forget.
I can still hear my father screaming at the TV as we watched it live.
The underarm bowling incident of 1981 took place on 1 February 1981, when Australia played New Zealand in a One Day International cricket match, the third in the best-of-five final of the 1980-81 World Series Cup, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[1] With one ball of the final over remaining, New Zealand required a six to tie the match. To ensure that New Zealand did not get the runs they needed, the Australian captain, Greg Chappell, instructed his bowler (and younger brother), Trevor Chappell, to deliver the last ball to Brian McKechnie underarm, along the ground. This action was legal at the time, but nevertheless seen as being against the spirit of cricketing fair play.
The delivery
New Zealand needed 6 runs to tie the match from the final ball, with eight wickets down. Greg Chappell, the Australian captain, instructed the bowler (his brother Trevor) to bowl underarm in a bid to prevent the Number 10 New Zealand batsman (Brian McKechnie) from getting under the delivery with sufficient power and elevation to hit a six. Bowling underarm was within the laws of cricket at the time (though against the rules of the Benson and Hedges County Cup Tournament in England), but perceived as unsportsmanlike.
In accordance with protocol, both umpires were informed that the final ball would be delivered underarm. It ended up being rolled along the pitch.
McKechnie blocked the ball away and then threw his bat in frustration, giving Australia a 6-run victory. The New Zealand batsmen walked off in disgust. The New Zealand captain, Geoff Howarth, ran onto the field to plead with the umpires. Howarth believed underarm bowling to be illegal, as per the rules in the English tournaments.
In the confusion before the final ball was bowled, one of the Australian fielders, Dennis Lillee, did not walk into place, meaning that technically the ball should have been a no-ball, because Australia had one too many fielders outside the field restriction line. If the umpires had noticed this, New Zealand would have been awarded one run, and the final ball re-bowled.
Reactions
As the ball was being bowled, Ian Chappell (elder brother of Greg and Trevor, and a former Australian captain), who was commentating on the match, was heard to call out "No, Greg, no, you can't do that" in an instinctive reaction to the incident, and he remained critical in a later newspaper article on the incident.
Commentating for Channel 9 at the time, former Australian captain Richie Benaud described the act as "disgraceful" and said it was "one of the worst things I have ever seen done on a cricket field".
New Zealand cricketer Warren Lees recounted the underarm incident on New Zealand's 20/20 current affairs show, on Thursday 17 February 2005. He said that after the affair there was a long silence in the dressing room, which was broken suddenly and unexpectedly by fellow player Mark Burgess smashing a tea cup.
After the incident, the then Prime Minister of New Zealand, Robert Muldoon, described it as "the most disgusting incident I can recall in the history of cricket", going on to say that "it was an act of true cowardice and I consider it appropriate that the Australian team were wearing yellow". Even the Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Fraser, called the act "contrary to the traditions of the game".
BBC Archive - 1981: News: Underarm Bowling - Bing video
Brian McKechnie, the batsman facing Chappell, was a dual international - an All Black at the time. There is no doubt he had a chance to square the match. He was capable.....the odds were against him, but he was cruelly denied the chance.
It was indeed a moment that most Kiwi's who witnessed it will never forget.
I can still hear my father screaming at the TV as we watched it live.
