Midday

• Greg Chappell says He is not Haunted by the Episode

 
Karachi, Feb 1: Greg Chappell often gets reminded of February 1, 1981 — the day he instructed his brother Trevor to send down an underarm delivery to New Zealand’s Brian McKechnie to ensure the Kiwi wouldn’t hit a last-ball six to win the first of three World Series Cup finals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia thus ended up winning by six runs.

Today, that incident completes 25 years and obviously, Chappell is not celebrating.

He denied being haunted by it and insisted that the New Zealanders have forgiven him for his act which even attracted the wrath of Kiwi Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, who termed the incident as “an act of cowardice” “It has never haunted me and yes they have (forgiven me),” said the India coach from Karachi after a frustrating day in which the visitors were buried in an avalanche of runs by the Pakistani batsmen. McKechnie, the batsman who had to face that grubber holds no grudges, according to Chappell. “I have seen him many times and he is very good about the whole thing,” Chappell said.

The wounds have diminished with time but world cricket has not forgotten.
India toured Australia in 1980-81 too and participated in the same triangular series before they failed to make the finals.

Sandeep Patil recalled laughing away when he watched it on television in his hotel room. “I was very amused and was reminded about my days of gully cricket.

“Of course, later it became a huge issue,” said the former dasher. Karsan Ghavri, who was sharing a room with Patil, said he was shocked out of his wits after watching the final ball.

What they said

(Courtesy: Rookies, Rebels and Renaissance by Mike Coward)

Greg Chappell: I made a mistake. I admitted that. I do get annoyed occasionally when someone, probably not meaning anything by it, makes some comment just walking down the street or something like that.

Trevor Chappell: It’s frustrating that it comes up pretty much all the time. If I meet somebody for the first time and they hear my name, they say: ‘Oh, you’re the underarm bowler.’