Melbourne : Whatever happens in Sunday’s World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand, it will have to go some way to matching the bitter fall-out from another ODI clash between the two countries at the MCG back in 1981. What might have been a forgettable third final of the ODI series produced one of the most controversial finishes of all-time when, with New Zealand needing six to tie off the last ball, Australia captain Greg Chappell instructed younger brother Trevor to role the ball underarm along the ground.
Angry New Zealand tailender Brian McKechnie, who was on strike, threw his bat away in disgust and Greg Chappell’s decision brought forth a torrent of criticism.
Meanwhile former Australia captain Ian Chappell, Greg and Ian’s older brother, said: “Fair dinkum, Greg. How much pride do you sacrifice to win AUD 35,000?” Trevor Chappell said he “thought (the underarm) delivery was a pretty good idea at the time” even though “obviously it wasn’t in the spirit of the game”.
“People probably wouldn’t remember me (if the underarm incident hadn’t happened).”
But Greg, who has often spoken of his regret at involving Trevor, said the first time he realised the impact of his decision was shortly after match ended. “One little girl ran beside me and tugged on my sleeve and said, ‘You cheated’,” he recalled. “That was (when) I knew it would be bigger than I expected.
“The underarm had very little to do with winning that game of cricket, because, in fact, we’d won the game,” said Chappell. “They weren’t going to get six off the last ball of the game.
“It was my statement. My cry for help was: ‘You’re not listening. This might help you sit up and take notice’,” added Chappell, whose post-playing career was marked by a controversial spell as coach of India.
McKechnie said the incident had helped establish cricket’s place in a rugby-mad country “It was huge for cricket in New Zealand, cricket took on a new interest almost so that was great and I think it’s also helped this trans-Tasman rivalry, it’s great to play Australia so that’s good for sport.” —PTI
