The Underarm

**The Underarm** was an infamous incident in cricket in 1981, referring to Australian player Trevor Chappell bowling the ball along the ground to New Zealand batsman Brian McKecknie to prevent six runs being scored off the last ball of the game.

## Background

Over the southern Summer of 1980/1981 New Zealand and India sent a team each to Australia. Both countries played three test matches against Australia before the three teams competed in a ten one day matches against each other. In this one day competition Australia won six games, New Zealand five and India three with one game washed out. As Australia and New Zealand had won more games they would compete against each other in a five game finals series for the World Series Cup.

New Zealand had quite a good team. Openers John Wright and Bruce Edgar were capable of doing damage, while captain Geoff Howarth was proving to be a capable successor to Glen Turner. With the ball legend Richard Hadlee was in his prime supported by dangerous swing bowler Lance Cairns and clever Martin Sneddon. Australia had some great players as well with captain Greg Chappell and a young Alan Border, as well as Doug Walters and bowler Dennis Lillee in the twilight of their respective careers.

## The first two matches

The first game in the finals was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 29, 1981. Australia won the toss and sent New Zealand in to bat. A 103 run stand for the second wicket by Wright and Howarth set the foundation for a formidable total of 233 runs for the loss of just six wickets after the alloted 50 overs. Australia in reply lost early wickets and never really recovered despite a stubborn stand by Border. Hadlee was the main destroyer taking five wickets and Australia were bowled out for 155 in just under 40 overs giving New Zealand the win by 78 runs.

The second game was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 31, 1981. Australia again won the toss and again sent New Zealand in to bat. This time New Zealand failed to get going and were bowled out for just 126 with three bowlers claiming two wickets each in a good team performance. In reply, Australia weren't strong but they got to the total for the loss of just three wickets to tie the series at one win apiece.

## The match

The third game was also played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 1, 1981. Yet again Australia won the toss but this time opted to bat first.

### Australian innings

Border went out cheaply for just five runs in an early scare for Australia but captain Chappell and Graeme Wood steadied the ship with a fine 145 run stand for the second wicket. However it shouldn't have been that many. When Chappell was on 58 runs, he skied a ball off Cairns - and Sneddon at deep mid wicket ran in and completed a superb catch diving forward. Richie Benaud in commentary cried "What a catch!" and "That is one of the best catches I have ever seen in my life!" But Chappell held his ground, obviously believing the ball had not been caught. This placed the onus on the umpires, Peter Cronin and Donald Weser, to make a decision. Despite the protestations of Sneddon, Mark Burgess who was right there when the catch was taken, and captain Howarth, the umpires gave the benefit of the doubt to the batsman and gave him not out as they hadn't seen the catch themselves. It can be argued that it was their handling of this incident that led to neither umpire standing in an international cricket match ever again.

The second wicket stand ended when Paul McEwan got through Wood's defences and bowled him. Chappell would later sky another ball off Sneddon, and Edgar took a catch that was very similar to the one Sneddon took. This time though, Chappell walked and accepted that he'd been caught this time.

This firm foundation gave Australia a total of 235 for the loss of just four wickets at the completion of the 50 overs.

### New Zealand innings

New Zealand struck back with a fine opening stand of 85 from Wright and Edgar. The stand ended when Wright was caught by Martin Kent of captain Chappell's bowling. Australia battled to take advantage but while they were taking wickets, Edgar was standing firm. When he and John Parker had a six wicket stand of 49 and Edgar got his century New Zealand seemed to be on the verge of an unlikely victory. But Parker was caught by Trevor Chappell off the bowling of Lillee and New Zealand still needed 15 runs to win and there was only one over to go.

The final over was bowled by Trevor Chappell, captain Greg's younger brother. Trevor was a medium pacer who had not yet taken a wicket in the game and had given away 49 runs to that point. The first ball was bowled to Hadlee, who had replaced Parker. He drove it to the boundary for four runs to leave New Zealand 11 runs from victory. The second ball however hit Hadlee on the pads and an appeal for leg before wicket was upheld by the umpire and Hadlee was out. Television replays though suggested that the ball had pitched outside leg stump and Benaud in commentary reflected "I think that Richard Hadlee would justifiably feel a bit annoyed at that decision".

New Zealand wicket keeper Ian Smith came to the crease and scored two runs off both the third and fourth balls to bring the number of runs needed to win down to 7. But then Smith was clean bowled and there was just one ball to bowl.

### The Underarm

Brian McKechnie came to the crease, and the best New Zealand could hope for was a tie with a six from the last ball - unless a no ball or a wide was bowled. It was then that Greg Chappell inexplicably instructed his brother Trevor to bowl the last ball underarm along the ground, thus;

* Greg: How are you bowling your underarms?
* Trevor: I dunno!
* Greg: Well, you're about to find out.

It was perfectly legal under the rules of the time, but incredibly unsportsmanlike. The captain notified the umpires and Australian wicket keeper could be seen shaking his head. Greg and Trevor's older brother Ian, who was commentating, stated "No, Greg, no, you can't do that". Despite this, Trevor did as he was told. McKechnie had no choice but to block the ball for no run - and Australia won the game by six runs. Despite the victory, the crowd at the venue was non-plussed and McKechnie threw his bat away in disgust. And as Greg left the ground a little girl caught up with him and tugged on his shirt saying "You cheated". It was only at that moment that the captain realised the gravity of what he had done. The New Zealand captain ran onto the ground to remonstrate with the umpires, under the impression that the game was being played under the same rules as the English one day regulations - where an underarm was in fact prohibited. He was corrected on this.

## The Reaction

Benaud was as angry as he had ever been and in a controlled manner stated after the match that the incident was "one of the worst things I have ever seen done on a cricket field". He added that Trevor Chappell only bowled the last over because the last few overs were poorly organised preventing Dennis Lillee from bowling the last over as what should have happened.

Ian Chappell was more abrasive saying, "Fair dinkum, Greg, how much pride do you sacrifice to win $35,000? Because, brother, you sacrificed a lot in front of a huge TV audience and 52,825 people". That last number was the attendance at the game that day.

The legendary Sir Donald Bradman was quoted as saying, "I am very disappointed at Australia's win-at-all-costs attitude", something that Bradman had seen for himself from England. Keith Miller was quoted as saying, "Yesterday one-day cricket died, and Greg Chappell should be buried with it".

Even politicians on both sides of the Tasman Sea reflected on the incident with New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon stating, "It was an act of true cowardice and I consider it appropriate that the Australian team were wearing yellow" as well as saying it was "the most disgusting incident I can recall in the history of cricket". Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser wasn't about to disagree calling it "contrary to the traditions of the game".

When the fourth game in the series was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on February 3, 1981 with Australia now up 2-1, New Zealand won the toss and batted and scored 215 for the loss of eight wickets. When Australia batted, and Greg Chappell came in at the fall of the first wicket, the crowd collectively booed and jeered him. However he won the crowd over with a well made 87 helping Australia win the match and the series.

Not long after this incident, the rules of the one day series were indeed changed to include the underarm as an illegal delivery.

## The Legacy

In the first ever 20/20 game between Australia and New Zealand played at Eden Park in Auckland in 2005, Australia had the match well and truly won. With one ball left to bowl, New Zealand had scored 170, 44 runs short of Australia's 214. With his tongue very firmly stuck in his cheek, bowler Glenn McGrath decided to announce that he would bowl the last delivery underarm to Kyle Mills. New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden, well known for his eccentricity, penalised McGrath with a mock red card! The crowd took the stunt in the manner it was intended, and McGrath bowled the final delivery in the normal way - with Mills being caught by Michael Kasprowicz.

The incident still carries a sour taste for New Zealand. Edgar's 102 not out is largely forgotten in the fallout, and Trevor Chappell is best known for the incident in an otherwise uneventful international career. Greg has many times since apologised for the decision, claiming that he should not have been captain at that time as he was under enormous pressure due to the length of the season and wasn't coping - on top of Melbourne's heat that day.

## *Opinions*

* I saw the controversy of Greg Chappell's refusal to walk unfold live on TV, but I didn't see the final over as I wasn't home. When I returned, all I heard was "underarm" and I wondered what the fuss was about because my interpretation of an underarm was from backyard cricket. It never occurred to me that Trevor Chappell had rolled the ball along the ground. It was only when I saw the replay of the infamous ball that I got the message. I also heard a story (and I've been unable to confirm it) that many years later, the matter was put to rest in a charity do when Trevor Chappell was again bowling to McKechnie. With a grin on his face, Trevor announced that he would bowl The Underarm. This time - in the spirit of the moment - McKechnie was ready, and he came down the pitch to the ball, flicked it up with his hand and bashed it for six! Both men had a laugh about it, given that what McKechnie actually did was illegal! But that was the point - what happened on February 1, 1981 shouldn't have happened to begin with. **TLPG** 12:57, September 5, 2020 (UTC)