Hit for six! Cricket’s biggest scandals
Bodyline, underarm bowling, match-fixing and more. Australia’s ball-tampering woes are the latest in a long line of scandals to hit world cricket.
Here, AFP Sport looks at six of the biggest scandals.
● England’s 1932-33 tour of Australia was notable for skipper Douglas Jardine’s tactic of “fast leg theory bowling”. Bowlers pitched short balls on leg stump that reared into the body of where an orthodox batsman would be standing after taking his guard.
With fast bowler Harold Larwood to the fore, the bodyline plan was employed in a bid to dent the dominance of the brilliant Don Bradman through physical intimidation. But it led to a diplomatic incident over allegations of unsporting tactics.
England won the Ashes 4-1, but such was the uproar that Nottinghamshire miner Larwood never played another Test after a bitter and premature end to his international career.
● Late Proteas captain Hansie Cronjé was banned for life after he admitted fixing his own team’s ODIs against India in 2000. Cronjé, who died in a plane crash in 2002, initially denied all allegations but eventually came clean as evidence mounted, including former teammates testifying that they had received cash offers from Cronjé to throw matches.
Pakistan skipper Salim Malik was also banned for life in 2000 after the Qayyum inquiry into match-fixing in the 1990s rocked Pakistan. Former captain Rashid Latif was the first cricketer to accuse Malik of matchfixing during Pakistan’s tour to SA and Zimbabwe in 1995.
Trevor Chappell was vilified after one of the most notorious unsporting acts of all time: bowling underarm on the final ball of an ODI to help Australia beat New Zealand in Melbourne in 1981. It won them the match but lost him all respect, despite Chappell acting on the orders of his older brother and then captain, Greg. Chappell said he had been seen as the most despised man in Australian cricket until the latest scandal involving skipper Steve Smith.
Salman Butt was captain of Pakistan when fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir delivered deliberate no-balls during a Test match against England at Lord’s in August 2010. The trio admitted to working with a bookmaker and served time in prison in England before being suspended for five years by the ICC.
Maybe the most infamous ball-tampering scandal ended with Pakistan forfeiting their Test against England at The Oval in 2006. Umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove gave England five penalty runs after ruling that Pakistan had tampered with the ball. Inzamam ul-Haq’s side refused to take the field after the tea break in protest, and the umpires awarded the match to England, the first forfeiture in Test history. Pakistan were later cleared by the ICC, with the match declared a draw.
TREVOR CHAPPELL WAS VILIFIED AFTER ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS UNSPORTING ACTS OF ALL TIME — BOWLING UNDERARM ON THE FINAL BALL OF AN ODI TO HELP AUSTRALIA BEAT NEW ZEALAND