The 1981 Underarm Bowling Incident: How Cricket's Rules Changed

On 1 February 1981, with one ball to go in a one-day international between Australia and New Zealand at the MCG, the New Zealand batsman Brian McKechnie needed six runs to tie the match. Australia's captain Greg Chappell instructed his brother, Trevor Chappell, to bowl the last ball underarm — rolling it along the ground. The delivery was within the existing Laws of cricket. It was, by every other standard, a moment of sporting collapse so complete that it triggered an ICC rule change within months.

This is the story of the 1981 underarm bowling incident — what happened, why it happened, the global reaction, and the rule changes that followed and still govern modern cricket.

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The setup: a final, a chase, and a captain's decision

The match was the third final of the 1980-81 World Series Cup — a triangular ODI competition between Australia, New Zealand, and India. Australia and New Zealand were in a best-of-five final series; Australia led 1-0. A win at the MCG would clinch the trophy.

Australia batted first and made 235/4 in 50 overs. New Zealand chased. The chase was tense, with Bruce Edgar batting on 102 not out. With one ball remaining, the equation was: New Zealand need 6 runs to tie.

The batsman on strike was Brian McKechnie, the no.10 — a tail-ender with limited hitting power. The bowler was Trevor Chappell, the youngest of the three Chappell brothers (Ian, Greg, Trevor), in his fourth ODI.

Greg Chappell, the captain, walked over to Trevor between balls. The conversation, later disputed in detail, was approximately:

"Trevor, are you fit to roll one along the ground?"

"Yes."

"OK, do it."

Trevor delivered the ball underarm — rolling it along the ground. McKechnie blocked it with his bat. The match ended. Australia won. The MCG erupted in boos.

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The reaction

From New Zealand

Brian McKechnie threw his bat in disgust as he walked off. New Zealand captain Geoff Howarth was visibly furious. New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, in Wellington, called the act "the most disgusting act of cowardice I can remember" and cricket's "most disgraceful incident."

From Australia

The Australian media and the public were divided. Some defended Greg Chappell's tactical decision (the act was within the Laws). Most condemned it. Ian Chappell, Greg's older brother, watching at home, telephoned Greg to express his disgust at the decision. The story goes that Ian called Greg "an absolute disgrace."

Donald Bradman, in his eighties and chairman of the Australian Cricket Board, was reportedly furious — though by his usual practice, he made no public statement. The Australian Board issued a statement of disappointment.

From England

Mike Brearley, then England's captain, called the act "an outrage" and "everything cricket is supposed to stand against." Tony Greig, in commentary, said live: "I think it's the most disgraceful thing I've ever seen on a cricket field."

From the ICC

Within weeks, the ICC banned underarm bowling in international cricket and white-ball matches. The Laws of Cricket (administered by the MCC) were updated within 12 months. The change was effectively the second time in 50 years that a single incident had directly forced a rule change — the first being the 1932-33 Bodyline series.

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What was Greg Chappell thinking?

The defence Greg Chappell offered, in the years after, came down to three points:

1. The tactic was within the Laws — underarm bowling was legal.
2. The match situation was high-pressure (a final) and a tie would have been costly.
3. McKechnie was a tail-ender with no hitting reputation — the gamble of a fair contest had unequal odds.

The honest tactical analysis: McKechnie could probably not have hit a six off a regulation last-ball delivery. The probability of Australia losing the match was small even with a fair ball. Greg Chappell's decision turned a 95-percent winning probability into 100-percent — at the cost of his reputation, his brother's career, and Australian cricket's sense of self.

In an interview decades later, Greg Chappell admitted he had not slept the night after the match. He has called it the worst decision of his cricketing life. He has also, periodically, stood by the tactical reasoning.

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What was Trevor Chappell thinking?

Trevor Chappell was 22, a journeyman fast-medium bowler, in his fourth ODI for Australia. He was bowling for his older brother, the captain. He has said in interviews that he remembers the moment with discomfort, but at the time he simply followed the captain's instruction.

After the incident:

• Trevor Chappell played four more Tests for Australia after the incident (his record: 0 Test centuries, 1 Test fifty, 21 wickets).
• He retired from international cricket in 1983 and moved into coaching.
• He has, mostly, kept his peace publicly, accepting the historical role he played without volunteering details.

The personal cost was significant. Trevor Chappell carried the public weight of the incident for decades, even though the decision was Greg's.

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The rule change

The ICC banned underarm bowling in all international and one-day cricket within months of the incident. The MCC updated the Laws of Cricket, with two specific clauses:

1. Underarm bowling is permitted only by prior agreement between captains. In all other circumstances, underarm bowling is a no-ball.
2. The umpire is empowered to call a no-ball for any delivery deemed not in the spirit of fair play.

In modern Test cricket, the entire concept of underarm bowling has effectively disappeared. Even in club cricket, captains nearly never request the underarm option.

For more on cricket's evolving rule book, see our ICC playing conditions 2026 explainer, and for related rule-change incidents, our Bodyline series guide.

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The aftermath: how Greg Chappell's reputation recovered

Greg Chappell continued as Australian captain for two more years (the underarm incident was in February 1981; he played until 1984). He scored heavily — averaging 53.86 in Test cricket, with seven Test centuries to come. By the time he retired, the underarm incident was one chapter among many.

Today, Greg Chappell is widely respected as a cricket coach (he has held senior roles with both Australian and Indian cricket boards) and a strategic mind. The 1981 incident is acknowledged but not dominant in his legacy — except in New Zealand, where the cricketing memory is sharper.

In 1996, Chappell was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

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How New Zealand cricket processed the incident

For decades, the underarm incident was a national grievance in New Zealand. References to it appeared in political speeches, magazine cartoons, and Test-match crowds (where signs reading "Remember 1981" appeared at Trans-Tasman fixtures into the 2000s).

The cricketing relationship between Australia and New Zealand was never quite the same in the 1980s. Australia's 1985 win in the Auckland Test was treated by New Zealand fans as redemption for the underarm incident as much as a current cricketing victory.

Greg Chappell was, for a generation, a villain of New Zealand cricket. His coaching tenure with Cricket New Zealand in 2010 was met with mixed reactions partly because of the 1981 history.

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The modern legacy

Two things from the 1981 incident still shape cricket today.

1. The "Spirit of Cricket" principle

The MCC's formal Spirit of Cricket preamble — added to the Laws in 2000 — was directly inspired by the underarm incident and other late-20th-century controversies. The preamble states that cricket should be played not only within the Laws but in a manner that respects the spirit of fair play.

2. The Mankading debate

When R Ashwin "Mankaded" Jos Buttler in 2019, the immediate parallel was the 1981 underarm incident. Both were within the Laws but considered unsporting by the prevailing cricket ethos. Both prompted heated debates about whether the Laws should be re-written or whether players should self-regulate.

The Mankading rule has since been clarified in the Laws — it remains a legitimate dismissal — but the debate continues to draw on the 1981 framework.

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A small footnote: the McKechnie reaction

Brian McKechnie, the batsman who faced the underarm ball, retired from international cricket within years and went on to play domestic cricket for several seasons. His on-field reaction — bat-throw and immediate departure — became an iconic image. He has, publicly, said little about the incident over the decades, though he has acknowledged that he found it personally insulting.

McKechnie's only Test innings of note was the 1980 vs Australia series. His career numbers: 1 Test, 0 catches, 0 fifty, 0 century. The 1981 incident is, for most cricket fans, the only thing they associate with him.

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A short note on Mike Brearley's response

Brearley was England's captain at the time of the incident. He wrote a column in The Times calling the underarm ball "everything cricket is not supposed to be." Brearley is one of cricket's most respected captain-thinkers, and his moral framing of the incident — that cricket is, at its core, a contest of fair play, not just a contest of legality — has influenced how the game has approached subsequent edge-cases.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why was underarm bowling allowed in 1981? The Laws of Cricket at the time did not specify the manner of delivery. Bowling was bowling — overarm, underarm, or any other style. The 1981 incident was the catalyst for the explicit ban that followed.

Did Greg Chappell get punished for the underarm bowling? He was not formally sanctioned by the Australian Cricket Board. The reaction was professional and reputational — public criticism, but no fine or ban.

Was the underarm ball within the Laws of cricket? Yes. At the time, underarm bowling was a legal delivery in international cricket. The rule change came after, not before, the incident.

Has underarm bowling happened in international cricket since 1981? No. The ICC ban means that any underarm delivery in international cricket would be called a no-ball. The tactic has not been used by any team since.

What happened to Trevor Chappell after the incident? Trevor Chappell played four more Tests for Australia (his career was already winding down) and retired in 1983. He moved into coaching and has had a mostly low-profile post-cricket career.

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The 1981 underarm bowling incident is, in cricketing terms, what the 1932-33 Bodyline series was: a single moment that forced a rule change and reshaped the conversation about what cricket is supposed to be. Greg Chappell's decision was within the Laws. By every other measure, it was a betrayal of the game's spirit. The MCC and ICC made sure it could never happen again.