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It’s 1981 at the MCG and Australian captain Greg Chappell is telling his younger brother Trevor to bowl underarm to Kiwi batsman Brian McKechnie for the last delivery of a ODI with the Kiwis needing six to tie.
Instead of creating history, multi-millions of words could have been saved if Trevor had told Greg to get stuffed, bowl it yourself.
Last Saturday, 37 years later, billions of words would have been saved if Cameron Bancroft had told Australian vice-captain David Warner to get stuffed, ball-tamper yourself.
What a dramatic change those few different words would have had on the lives of four baggy greeners.
Trevor Chappell’s life was never the same.
He’s lost count of the number of new people he’s met over those 37 years who immediately said with pointed finger – “I know you, you’re the underarm bowler”.
It cost him his marriage, and he never became a father.
He was confined to the cricketing boondocks to coach Bangladesh when they didn’t have the cattle, nor did Singapore.
There was one period when Trevor was Sri Lanka’s fielding coach that he felt part of international cricket again – but the feeling was only fleeting.
All those tough times have transpired despite the fact underarm in 1981 was still legal. All the captain had to do was advise the batsman of the delivery change.
Greg Chappell did just that, Trevor bowled the underarm along the ground, McKechnie blocked it and threw his bat away in disgust.
Within days the ICC outlawed underarm forever – it’s the fastest the governing body has ever moved.
Cold comfort for Trevor Chappell.
But he knows better than anyone what Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft are about to suffer.
And what they did in Cape Town last Saturday was illegal.
(Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Watching live television last night with Bancroft in his hometown of Perth, and the former skipper in Sydney, was very disturbing.
Both were gutted and genuinely remorseful of their stupidity, but that’s just day one in their home environment.
Smith has a year to go before he can play another Test, or for NSW, and he can’t captain either for two years.
Bancroft has nine months before he’s again eligible for Australia, and Western Australia.
The tragedy is both are top blokes, and both highly respected by their peers at international and interstate level.
But they will forever regret not following their upbringing, and how they really riled the world of sport, and sporting fans.
It was interesting what former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted.
He hoped Smith and Bancroft made their way back, but he didn’t care about the other one.
The other one is, of course, David Warner who has also copped a 12-month ban, but his papers have been marked never to captain again after being found guilty of being the prime mover with the ball tampering.
He has yet to surface in Sydney, and his media conference will be closely monitored on arrival.
Smith and Bancroft generated a large degree of sympathy with their conferences, even taking into account their wrong-doing.
How Warner attacks his conference will define the way he’ll be treated.
The one permanent loss will be coach Darren Lehmann who will hang up his coaching shingles after the Johannesburg Test that starts tomorrow.
His contract doesn’t run out until next year, but he’s decided that while he was found not guilty of any involvement in the tampering, it’s time there was a change at the top.
And he’s right.
Cricket Australia has plenty of time to find a replacement with Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, and Jason Gillespie among the front-runners.
But all three have been an integral part of baggy green culture throughout their careers so it’s time to get away from the past and look to the future with the likes of Brendon McCullum who was the Lone Ranger to lift Black Cap cricket as captain from journeymen to world class status with a top-shelf culture.
McCullum is tough and fair, but won’t take any prisoners.
One cricketer who will be closely watched in Johannesburg will be South African captain Faf du Plessis, a two-time convicted ball tamperer who copped just a match fee fine, and some worthless demerit points.
Will he let his renowned sledgers loose, knowing there’s no way any Australian will try to replace David Warner?
Promises to be an evenful five days, if it lasts that long.