Famous (and not so famous) sporting birthdays: March 1-7

March 1, 1956 - Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Cricket)

BS Sandhu was a useful (if unspectacular) medium pace bowler for India over the course of an International career lasting barely two years. Sandhu played just eight tests, without any major success. He possessed no great arsenal of pace or variation, but could swing the ball mildly in both directions. He qualifies unequivocally as one of the not-so-famous birthdays this week to most, yet any Indian cricket fan over the age of 30 must surely remember his name for a single delivery. In the 1983 World Cup final India had been bowled out for a paltry 183 by the mighty West Indians, who had won both World Cups to date. Early on in what seemed like a regulation run-chase, legendary West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge shouldered arms to what looked like another innocuous delivery from Sandhu. But the ball nipped back off-the seam just enough to take out Greenidge's off-stump. To the surprise of no-one, Sandhu didn't take another wicket or have any great impact on the rest of the match, but that famous ball will live on in the annals of Indian Cricket. It sparked a collapse that saw the West Indies all out for 140 and crowned India world champions for the only time to date.

March 2, 1982 - Ben Roethlisberger (American Football)

Compared to other contact sports around the world (except perhaps Ice Hockey), the average age of professional American Footballers is notably high. It is a measure of the man's greatness that even isolated from the sport to the extent we are in Australia, sports fans have known Roethlisberger's name for so long and yet he has only just turned 28. The quarter-back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Roethlisberger is one of those few names like 'Manning', 'Brady' and 'Favre' who casual Australians can turn to when trying to fake a credible knowledge of the States' most quintessentially American sport. Roethlisberger has also achieved more in the sport than any of his contemporaries could manage by such a young age, most notably becoming the all time youngest Super Bowl winning Quarter-back with the Steelers in February 2006.

March 2 1988 - Matthew Mitcham (Diving)

Australian Matthew Mitcham dived into the public consciousness with one number: 112.80. This was the Olympic record smashing single dive Mitcham pulled out, when needing a mammoth 107.30 to beat China's Xhuo Luxin to gold in the 10m Platform Diving event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mitcham is the latest in a long line of Australian divers who have given the sport a resurgence in the country over the past ten years. Mitcham participated without major fanfare in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games of 2006 at the not particularly young (for diving) age of 18, and had a similar lack of impact in the 3m Springboard event at Beijing. But an inspired set of dives off the 10m platform set off whisperings of one final Australian medal on the closing night of the games, but surely no-one including Mitcham thought it was going to be gold until that final magic dive.

March 4 1936 - Jim Clark (Motor Racing)

The story of Formula 1 driver Jim Clark is one of the great tragedies of motor racing. He was a freakish talent matched by few before or since, yet is often never remembered in quite the same breath as other all time greats like Fangio, Stewart, Lauda, Senna and Schumacher. Without a doubt his lack of due credit comes about because of the unreliability of the cars he drove, and his untimely death at the age of 32 denied Clark the chance to build an unprecedented legacy. Clark formed 50% of a legendary partnership with engineering legend Colin Chapman, whose pioneering Lotuses took Clark to the World Championship by huge margins in 1963 and 1965. A mere two titles does a great injustice to the man. Chapman's penchant for spectacular revolutionary designs inevitably meant that each year the Lotus was easily the fastest car, with easily the world's fastest driver, but had horrible reliability. If the cars had been able to make the finish line more often, Clark could easily have won every championship from 1962 to 1968.

Clark even took on and conquered the greatest American race the Indiannapolis 500. Clark was a close 2nd on debut in 1963, was denied victory by a characteristic mechanical gremlin in 1964, and then thoroughly dominated the all-American field to win in 1965, midway through his F1 title-winning year. In the modern professional era of motor racing, such a feat is even more astounding. More World Championships would surely have come after 1968 had he not been killed when a tyre de-laminated during a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim in 1968, sending him into the trees at high speed.

March 5 1963 - Eddo Brandes (Cricket)

Zimbabwe's Eddo Brandes is not a cricketer who should ever come across as particularly threatening, yet his name would make the blood of many an Englishman boil. He was one of a handful of hard working medium pace bowlers of the late 1980s and 1990s, as Zimbabwe struggled for recognition or success on the world stage. In an otherwise inauspicious part-time career, the chicken farmer dominated England's batting line-up on more than one occasion. Most notable was his 4 for 21 in the 1992 World Cup which inspired Zimbabwe to an amazing 9 run win, after they'd been bundled out for 134 batting first. In 1997 Brandes also managed a One-Day International hat-trick against England, dismissing three far from shabby batsmen, Nick Knight, John Crawley and Nasser Hussain. The cherry on top of course is his famous exchange with Glenn McGrath, where Brandes explained the source of his somewhat portly mass.

March 5 1975 - Luciano Burti (Motor Racing)

Few people other than dedicated Formula 1 enthusiasts would remember Brazilian Luciano Burti, other than his immediate family and friends. His primary claims to fame are two spectacular accidents at the end of his Formula 1 career. Although he achieved little international stardom, Burti was an impressive talent. He outperformed future F1  champion Jenson Button to be runner-up in the 1999 British Formula 3 championship. His performances impressed three-time world champion Jackie Stewart. In 2000, Stewart's team became Jaguar Racing and Burti was employed as the team's test and reserve driver, getting an unexpected debut when Eddie Irvine missed the Austrian Grand Prix with illness. In 2001 he became Irvine's permanent team-mate but fell out with the team after just four races and moved to fellow back-markers Prost. It was with Prost that he had the accidents which came to define his career. First he spectacularly vaulted the slow-starting Michael Schumacher at the start of the German Grand Prix, then two races later was lucky to survive a high speed accident at the Belgian Grand Prix. He never drove in F1 again.

March 6 1947 - Dick Fosbury (Athletics)

American Dick Fosbury became Olympic High Jump champion when he cleared an Olympic record 2.24 metres at the Mexico City games of 1968. But it was his revolutionary new jumping technique for which he is world famous. In the 1960s the prevailing method for High Jump was the straddle technique, a diving-like motion where a jumper would throw themselves over the bar facing forward and down, and then pull their legs individually over. The teenage Fosbury found this technique difficult and throughout his High School years slowly began to hone his own technique of running in at an angle and then leaping backwards, facing skyward as he arched his back and legs over the bar. His method came to be known, disparagingly, as the Fosbury flop. Fortuitously, the cushioning mats used today became standard issue around the time of Fosbury's rise. As he mastered the technique Fosbury swept all before him, and it is now the default technique for all High Jump.

This week in sporting history: THE UNDERARM INCIDENT

February 1 marked three decades since modern cricket's most infamous moment of controversy, the underarm delivery Australian captain Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to bowl as the final ball of a One-Day International against New Zealand.
For Greg it was a major blip on what was a glittering but always controversial career. For the unfortunate underachieving Trevor, he will always be remembered for his role in the debacle.

The defining visual of the underarm incident is Trevor Chappell rolling the ball along the ground towards New Zealand batsman Brian McKechnie, who threw his bat away in disgust. The wider context of the day cannot be forgotten however, as it adds to the sheer drama of the event, and highlights what a devastating anti-climax is ultimate conclusion was. World Series Cricket was barely two years in the past, and had given Australian cricket with its legacy of spectacular day-night One Day cricket with coloured clothing and white balls. To continue this popular new fad, the Australian Cricket Board established an annual triangular tournament of one-day matches involving Australia and two touring teams to be played over the summer in conjunction with the Test matches. The World Series Cup began in 1979 and, under different names, continued until 2007 when it was replaced by the current format of five-to-seven match bilateral seiries', adding to the over-saturation of superfluous one day contests.

This was a time when the Australian public, driven by youth, were captivated by the spectacle of 50 over One-Day Cricket.  In the modern age of over-scheduling, most one day series hold little interest to anyone outside the immediate playing group. It can be hard nowadays to even imagine a context where an Australian captain could find the result of 'just another one-dayer' so desperately essential as to commit such a foul act. Not that Greg Chappell would ever have considered even the most inconsequential dead rubber anything other than vitally important and worthy of full effort. For all of his faults, this was the genesis of Chappell's cricketing genius.

In the summer of 1980-81, New Zealand and India visited in what was an evenly matched series filled with tense clashes that continued to delight the public. As it was, India were inconsistent and over time faded to finish a clear 3rd, and Australia and New Zealand qualified for the five-match finals series. On February 1 the teams were at the MCG for Game 3, with the series tied at 1-1. So outside any World Cup there could be few more important one day matches. It could also be said that for Australians the home triangular series was more important than the World Cup, which at that point was a decidedly English venture with white clothes and Test-like conditions. World Series Cricket had moved Australia's interests away from this conservative English state of thinking towards the new exciting spectacle of day-night cricket.

 Australia amassed 235 from their 50 overs, on the back of a 90 from Greg Chappell which was predictably not without controversy itself. When 52 Chappell was caught in the outfield by Martin Snedden, but the catch was a tight one with the ball close to the ground and Chappell stood his ground. Snedden was adamant the catch was taken but Chappell did not walk and the umpires called not-out. Later replays showed the catch was indeed cleanly taken. New Zealand's reply was anchored by a stellar century from opener Bruce Edgar, who batted throughout the 50 overs for 102 not out.

Entering the final over New Zealand were 6 for 221, requiring 15 with barnstorming all-rounder Richard Hadlee (now Sir Richard) new to the crease and on strike. An error in bowling calculations from Chappell meant that he was left with the far from optimum option of brother Trevor to bowl the final over. On a pitch which was playing absurdly low by today's standards, Hadlee took four off the first ball but then was trapped  LBW. No.9 Ian Smith was able to mishit a couple of swings into the outfield and scramble a pair of twos before being bowled. This left New Zealand at 8 for 229 with little known medium pacer Brian McKechnie the new batsman. Seven were needed to win, a six could tie it and take the teams to Game 4 with the series still locked up. As they say, the rest is history.

For thirty years since that fateful day, Greg Chappell's actions have gone down as a definitive low point in Australian sporting folklore. Relations between Australia and New Zealand were strained like never before. No sporting controversy had caused such wide ranging national antagonism between Australia and a political ally since Bodyline. New Zealand prime minister Robert Muldoon called the underarm delivery "the most disgusting incident I can recall in the history of cricket." But in reality, there were few genuine repercussions outside cricketing circles, as people on both sides of the Tasman for the most part agreed it had been a low act. But the fact remains, sliding a ball up the pitch underarm was not prohibited in the tournament laws. The overriding question mark of why this was the case is what really astonishes many people. I've been asked many times why such a ridiculous happening could legally occur in the first place. One element is simply that the very bizarreness of every possible unpredictable event can't be legislated against. But there is a wider context, that of the origins of bowling itself.

In the earliest centuries of Cricket the default form of bowling, the only form for all intents and purposes, was underarm. Cricket drew many similarities from bowls, and the ball was delivered in a similar way on similar grass surfaces. The only ostensible difference was the presence of a batsman. Although there's no concrete evidence as to how cricket surfaced, it's easy to imagine a lawn bowls patron accidentally striking a moving ball with a plank of wood, the seed of an idea dawning in his eyes. It would rival the romantic origins of Rugby (supposedly invented when an enterprising young student at Rugby School in England picked up a football mid-game and ran off the pitch with it). Until well into the 19th century, bowling was done either by the original rolling method, or by a pitched variant where the ball was delivered underarm, but projected airborne. Many specialist bowlers, most notably the revolutionary Edward "Lumpy" Stevens, began to develop the art of bowling, discovering and studying phenomena such as spin and air resistance, and learning the physics of bowling. An extremely subtle art involving precise lines and lengths developed, but it was still all underarm.

It wasn't until well into the early part of the 19th century that there were recorded occurrences of a new roundarm style, which may or may not look a bit like Mitchell Johnson. By the time Test Cricket began in 1876, underarm was largely superseded and the modern overarm style was dominant. Even into the the 20th century underarm bowling was a notable minority rather than a rarity. Until at least WWI there remained the odd underarm bowling professionals. Only in the last hundred years has it really disappeared from the game in any practical sense. Even still, instances of underarm bowling are peppered all the way through the 20th century, because of special circumstances such as injury or bowling action illegitimacy. Some forms of first-class cricket in time banned underarm entirely, or because of its anomalous nature specified that a bowler must notify the umpire of his intention to bowl underarm. However the ACB, in its running of the World Series Cup had omitted any specific rule prohibiting the practice. This was not because of any ideological deference towards the idea of underarm bowling but was merely an oversight born out of how unlikely such an occurrence would be. By 1981 the idea of delivering a ball underarm in an international was so foreign and inconceivable that when it suddenly happened, in such a high profile match and with such egregious and unsavoury motives, the shock waves were intense and still ring out thirty years later.

This Week in Sporting History: THE TIED TEST

Australia vs West Indies,1960/61 - 1st Test
Wooloongabba, Brisbane
December 9-14 1960

West Indies: 453 (Sobers 132, Worrell 65, Solomon 65, Davidson 5/135)
Australia: 505 (O'Neill 181, Simpson 92, Hall 4/140)
West Indies: 284 (Worrell 65, Kanhai 54, Davidson 6/87)
Australia: 232 (Davidson 80, Benaud 52, Hall 5/63)

MATCH TIED

The West Indies celebrate as Joe Solomon 

affects the most famous run-out in cricket history.

This week exactly fifty years ago saw the famous Tied Test, the first ever instance of a complete Test Match finished with both teams equal on the same total (constituting a TIE as opposed to the common DRAW occurring when the 5 days expire without a completed result) in the 498 match and 83 year history of Test Cricket up to that point. The story of this iconic match has gone down in legend, indisputably the greatest ever cricket match (not just for the final drama but on overall quality throughout the match) to anyone lucky enough to have witnessed it.

The wider context of this historic match has perpetuated its legend. As the 1950s wore down Test Cricket was becoming increasingly dull and was entering a period of extreme divisiveness, with the real danger of losing fans in their drones. Frank Worrell, now a West Indies legend perhaps more for his endearing personality than his cricket, led a star-studded West Indies team to Australia which for the first time ever, was rated a genuine chance of challenging and beating the hosts. Worrell had in recent times become the first ever black West Indian captain, a major milestone in the history of a predominantly anglo-centric sport (India were still young in their independence and retained white-anglo elements, and Pakistan had barely yet registered as an international force). Worrell's team and the Richie Benaud led Australians gathered in Brisbane in 50 years ago this week for the series opener, two of the game's greatest ever figures as captains going out for the opening toss. What ensued was not only five days of competitive Test Cricket and pure theatre of the highest order, but five whole Tests of similar quality, resplendent with vibrant aggressive play and in played in a spirit consigned forever to the realsm of fantasy in the modern age. Record crowd figured flocked to all five Tests, matches which in many views, single-handedly recharged Test Cricket into its popular heights of the next decade and beyond.

As for the actual match, The West Indies won the toss and batted. Some wonderful enterprising batting from the god-like genius Sir Garfield Sobers saw him make 132, an innings Benaud described as the greatest innings he ever witnessed. An astonishing 50 from fast bowling No.10 batsman Wes Hall then helped carry the total to beyond 400, the Windies making a strong 453, at a 3.37 run rate which would be impressive even by today's standards. But the Australians were equal to the task, making full use of the flat wicket to amass 505, spearheaded by a majestic 181 from Norman O'Neill, an innings criminally underrated in the annals of cricketing history. As the pitch began to show signs of wear, The West Indies fought hard to 284, on the back of another stodgy captain's 65 from Worrell. This left Australia little more than five hours on a patchy final day wicket to make 233. Hall was in his element and ripped through the Aussie top order, reducing an ominous top order to 5/57.

At 6/92 midway through the day captain Benaud joined Australia's bowling hero Alan Davidson and the rest is history. Eschewing conventional logic which suggested attempting to defend for the draw, Benaud made the decision to attack and the pair put together an epic partnership, which took Australia to within a whisker of victory. But with just seven runs remaining a suicidal call from Benaud ran Davidson out for a magnificent career best 80. Enter the final either ball over and Australia found themselves needing six runs to win, with three wickets left. After a single from wicket keeper Wally Grout, Benaud was caught behind of a wild barely controlled bouncer from the bounding Hall from 52. A thigh-smashing scrambled leg-bye and a woefully grassed catch by Hall later and 3 runs were needed from 3 balls. No.10 batsman proceeded to slog Hall beyond where any modern rope would stand, but a spectacular chase and direct hit throw (from upwards of 75 metres) from Conrad Hunte caught Grout short going for the 3rd and winning run. This brought in Australia's final man Lindsay Kline with the scores tied. Kline tapped the penultimate ball square and called Meckiff through for a scrambling single. From almost exactly side-on, with one stump visible, Joe Solomon's aim was true and Meckiff was run out. The West Indians jumped for joy, most presuming they'd won. Australian players and fans were unsure which team had won, if either, so implausibly unlikely was the concept of such a long form contest finishing tied. Finally once the confusion settled the astonishing reality became clear. Cricket's first tied Test. Half a century later the result has only been repeated once, between India and Australia in similarly dramatic circumstances in 1986.

For the record Australia won the 5 Test series 2-1, after 25 days of supreme Test cricket and thanks largely to a miraculous draw in the 4th Test where Ken Mackay and that poor No.11 Kline again, batted for nearly two hours at 9 wickets down, preventing the West Indies from taking the final wicket to win the match.