Arunabha Sengupta revisits some of the nasty rifts in the history of cricket. In this episode he looks back at the Ian Meckiff throwing controversy of the early 1960s.
Thrown Out: Ian Meckiff’s trials with the Australian selectors
Ian Meckiff is forever etched in our memories as the man run out by the superb throw of Joe Solomon to produce the first tied Test.
However, Meckiff’s connection with the throw went beyond that. In the late 50s and early 60s, men like Geoff Griffin, Peter Loader, Charlie Griffith, Jimmy Burke, Gordon Rorke and Tony Lock – to name a few – had formed a formidable army of bowlers with suspect action. Meckiff was singled out by fate to be the most unfortunate victim.
Having a beautiful leisurely run-up, somewhat reminiscent of Ted McDonald, Meckiff’s actual delivery and follow through showed all the symptoms of a chucker. Ian Peebles, who observed him in the nets on the morning of a Test match, remarked“… his action exactly resembled a coach throwing the ball to a young batsman at the net.”
When Meckiff took six for 38 against England in the second Test at Melbourne in 1959-60, it raised some infuriated English voices. Although the diplomacy of the day prevented skipper Peter May from lodging an official complaint, journalist EM Wellings wrote, “He runs no faster than Hedley Verity, yet the balls leave his hand at express pace.”
One of the reasons why England refused to complain, as admitted later by May, was that they had their own share of suspect bowlers on the tour – Tony Lock and Peter Loader.
At the Imperial Cricket Conference of 1960, Don Bradman, then acting as a member of the Australian Cricket Board and also one of the selectors, refused to admit that he had picked bowlers with illegitimate action. Interestingly, the one who locked horns with him was his adversary of the 1930s, Gubby Allen.
As Allen remarked, “He wouldn’t budge an inch and neither would I. He said Australia had no chuckers and I said that was rubbish … I had film of some of the worst offenders, but Don and the other Australians would not look at them. But deep in his heart he knew they had a problem …”
It was the way this problem was tackled that left a lot to be desired.
Meckiff did not tour England in 1961 because of injuries, but was picked to play against South Africa in 1963-64. It was surprising because he had been called for throwing in two matches during the Sheffield Shield immediately before the series.
In the opening Test at Brisbane, after Australia had batted first and scored 435, South Africa took strike just after lunch on the second day. After Graham McKenzie had bowled the first over, Meckiff started the second from the Vulture Street End to Trevor Goddard. At the same time, South African manager, Ken Viljoen, set up a camera and started filming his action.
Umpire Col Egar had officiated in three Sheffield Shield matches and two Test matches featuring Meckiff and had never had any problem with his action. Now he called the second, third, fifth and ninth ball as throws.
Captain Richie Benaud had a word with the bowler and removed him from the attack. The rest of the 133.5 eight ball overs in the innings were shared by McKenzie, Alan Connolly, Tom Veivers, Benaud himself, Bobby Simpson and Norman O’Neill.
At the end of the game, Meckiff retired from all forms of cricket.
The crowd stood vociferously behind the bowler. Egar was heckled during the infamous over, and before the close of the second day’s play, chants of “We want Meckiff” grew louder. When play ended, spectators entered the field and carried the Victorian off the ground on their shoulders. Egar had to be escorted out by the Queensland police.
Meckiff later said that he not bear Egar any grudge, but added that although he had done what he had thought was correct, the calls had felt like being stabbed in the back – more so because the umpire was a close personal friend.
Meckiff – victim of conspiracy?
Several sections of Australian cricket community believed that Meckiff had been the victim of a conspiracy to demonstrate thatAustralia was serious about the throwing issue. At a dinner for the visiting state captains hosted by Bradman in January 1963, it had supposedly been hinted that Meckiff might turn out to be a sacrificial offering. At the dinner, Bradman had run a film showing bowlers with suspect actions – Meckiff among them. The legendary batsman definitely had his doubts over Meckiff’s action, yet he was one of the selectors who ensured his inclusion in the Test side.
Phrases such as “smacks of a set-up”, “obvious fall-guy”, and “sacrificial goat” flew about. Several, including Keith Miller, wanted Bradman to resign. Cricketer-turned-journalist Dick Whitington said that Egar and Bradman had travelled from Adelaide to the Brisbane Test together, making it look very much like a plot. It was also revealing that Benaud did not try to bowl Meckiff from the other end and that the Australians played an extra bowler in the match, indicating prior knowledge of the events to follow.
Connolly remained adamant that his teammate’s action was legitimate and implied treachery, saying “I wasn’t amazed …There was a good reason for that, which I can’t disclose and won’t disclose.”
Veivers, who made his Test debut for Australia in that match, said that at the pre-match function, the other umpire Lou Rowan had mentioned, “It’s going to be a very interesting game.”
For his part, Egar always denied any conspiracy.
Bobby Simpson, in his memoirs, Captain’s Story, branded several cricketers, including Meckiff, as chuckers. In 1965, fast bowler sued his former teammate for libel. The case ended five years later with an out-of-court settlement and apology from Simpson.
However, the affable Meckiff continued to socialise with people involved in his last Test, including Simpson, Egar and Rowan.