On 6 December 1963 at the Gabba, in his first over of the first Test against South Africa, Australian left-arm fast bowler Ian Meckiff was no-balled four times by umpire Col Egar — for throwing. Captain Richie Benaud removed him after the over and never bowled him again. Meckiff retired from all cricket at the end of the match. He was 28.
Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s the throwing question had dogged international cricket. South African Geoff Griffin had been ruined at Lord's in 1960; Tony Lock had remodelled his action; Charlie Griffith was under increasing scrutiny. The 1961 Ashes tour had been preceded by an Australian board directive that suspect actions would not be selected. Meckiff was left out.
Meckiff had been recalled for the 1962-63 Ashes home series and bowled without being called. The South African series of 1963-64 was expected to be more of the same. Egar's selection for the Brisbane Test was uncontroversial.
Meckiff had been at the centre of the international throwing crisis since the 1958-59 Ashes, when MCC manager Freddie Brown had quietly raised concerns about his action. He had been left out of the 1961 Ashes tour, recalled at home, dropped, recalled again. By December 1963 he was Australia's incumbent left-arm seamer.
The Brisbane Test began on 6 December. South African captain Trevor Goddard won the toss and batted. Australia opened with Graham McKenzie. Meckiff, bowling from the Vulture Street End, took the second over. Egar — bowling at square leg — called no-balls on the second, third, fifth and ninth deliveries of the eight-ball over. Benaud took Meckiff off after the over and bowled himself for the rest of the day.
Meckiff did not bowl again in the match. South Africa made 346, Australia 435; the Test was drawn. On the final day Meckiff issued a brief statement announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket. He was carried off the Gabba on the shoulders of his teammates after the close, an extraordinary public salute by Benaud and the rest. He never played again.
The Egar calls were controversial within Australian cricket for years. Egar and Meckiff were close friends; they had won a pairs lawn bowling competition together a few months earlier. Some — including Meckiff's family — believed Egar had been put under quiet pressure by the Australian Board to make an example of Meckiff and so demonstrate to England, the West Indies and South Africa that Australia was serious about cleaning up suspect actions. Egar denied this until his death in 2008. Meckiff himself never publicly criticised the umpire.
5 Dec 1963: Goddard wins toss, elects to bat; Australia field.
6 Dec 1963, second over: Meckiff bowls his first delivery to Goddard.
Ball 2: Egar calls no-ball.
Ball 3: Egar calls no-ball.
Ball 5: Egar calls no-ball.
Ball 9: Egar calls no-ball — fourth in the eight-ball over.
End of over: Benaud removes Meckiff and bowls himself.
End of match: Meckiff announces retirement; carried off the Gabba by teammates.
1958-59
Concerns first raised about Meckiff's action by MCC manager.
1961
Meckiff omitted from Ashes touring party.
1962-63
Meckiff recalled at home, bowls in Ashes without being called.
5 Dec 1963
First Test v South Africa begins at Brisbane.
6 Dec 1963
Egar calls Meckiff four times in his first over.
10 Dec 1963
Meckiff retires from all cricket.
“I never threw a ball in my life. But I do not blame Col Egar.”
Meckiff retired into Melbourne business life and rarely commented on the affair. His Test record (45 wickets at 31.62) was modest by Australian standards but the manner of his exit overshadowed everything. Egar continued umpiring at Test level until 1969. The Australian Board never formally acknowledged the political dimension of the calls.
Whether Meckiff threw the ball or not — and there is reasonable doubt either way — his career ended for political reasons as much as cricketing ones. Australia's board needed a public sacrifice to silence the chorus of complaint about Australian actions. Meckiff was the price.
Meckiff's case is still cited in throwing debates as proof that selectors and umpires can be used as instruments of policy. Together with the Griffin case at Lord's three years earlier, it bookended a five-year period in which several promising fast bowlers were destroyed by suspect-action calls. The throwing question quietened after 1963 and did not resurface seriously until Muralitharan in 1995.
Pakistan, England
1987-12-09
Days before the Mike Gatting-Shakoor Rana finger-pointing row, Chris Broad refused to leave the crease for over a minute after being given out caught behind, an incident that helped poison the 1987 Faisalabad Test.
England vs South Africa
1960-06-25
On 25 June 1960, the 21-year-old South African Geoff Griffin took the first Test hat-trick ever recorded at Lord's — and was no-balled eleven times for throwing in the same match. After the Test ended early on the fourth day, the umpires no-balled him repeatedly in the exhibition match staged to fill the unused time, forcing him to complete the over underarm. He never played another Test.
Australia v England
1898-01-01
On 1 January 1898 at the MCG, umpire Jim Phillips called Australia's Ernie Jones for throwing — the first bowler ever no-balled for a suspect action in a Test match. Jones, the South Australian fast bowler famous for sending a ball through W.G. Grace's beard the previous summer, had been called once before the Test by Phillips in a tour match. The Melbourne call set off a 'chucking question' that would consume English county cricket through 1900-01 and end Arthur Mold's career.