# Cricket question; tell me how far off I am **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 30, 2010, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-question-tell-me-how-far-off-i-am/551972 "2010-08-30T05:36:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-question-tell-me-how-far-off-i-am/551972/1 "2010-08-30T05:36:06Z")
I heard the anecdote on this board, and I remember the gist of it but am unclear on the details. First off, I’m not even sure about what decade it happened in. Maybe the '70s. It was a crucial time in a crucial match. The bowler sent the ball out in such a way that the batsman had no chance of meeting it. I mean no chance whatsoever. So that ended the match, and perhaps had some kind of domino effect on league standings. The move was legal at the time it happened, only because regulations didn’t specifically rule it out. But as a result of this, it was specified as illegal from then on. Now, tell me how far off base (so to speak) I am. And if you could give the year and the team names and so forth, that’d be great too. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-question-tell-me-how-far-off-i-am/551972/2 "2010-08-30T06:05:44Z")
Australia vs New Zealand, the infamous [underarm bowling incident](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underarm_bowling_incident_of_1981) of 1981. Pales in comparison to the rampart game throwing in the news right now, but it was a big deal at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-question-tell-me-how-far-off-i-am/551972/3 "2010-08-30T06:05:55Z")
It sounds like a reference to the “infamous” [underarm bowling incident](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underarm_bowling_incident_of_1981) in a one-day match between New Zealand and Australia in 1981. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-question-tell-me-how-far-off-i-am/551972/4 "2010-08-30T06:14:30Z")
Here is the Youtube [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IDFFmiwCqU)which explains the incident in detail. Much ado about nothing if you ask me but it does still get the Kiwis mighty excited 30 years later. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-question-tell-me-how-far-off-i-am/551972/5 "2010-08-30T06:17:01Z")
That’s it! Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-question-tell-me-how-far-off-i-am/551972/6 "2010-08-30T13:11:11Z")
Nothing to add but I recall reading a bitter joke about the incident that sticks in my mind: “The Aussies have a new underarm deodorant called Chappell, and it stinks.” ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-question-tell-me-how-far-off-i-am/551972/7 "2010-08-31T00:58:08Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Pales in comparison to the **rampart** game throwing in the news right now, but it was a big deal at the time. Berm-er of a typo, Hal. I meant rampant of course. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-question-tell-me-how-far-off-i-am/551972/8 "2010-08-31T01:19:14Z")
Oh, I thought you meant [this.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV0LGMGuLN0)