5 Weirdest things captains asked their teammates to do

You would often hear people saying ‘cricket is a captain’s game’ and truly it is. If the team wins, the captain gets the praise. If the team fails to perform, the skipper has to be the one to be blamed. In every team, a captain holds the responsibility of carrying the side on and off the field.

However, there are flawed individuals everywhere. A captain is looked like the most respected individual in the team but sometimes they make mistakes as well. There have been many instances in cricket where a captain has used his power to ask a player to do something which wasn’t in the spirit of the game. Without further to say, let us take a look at 5 weirdest things captains asked their teammates to do.

Here are five such incidents:

1. Greg Chappell asking his brother to bowl underarm

Greg Chappell’s career had a few controversies but none bigger than this one. This incident took place way back in 1981. Australia was playing New Zealand in the 3rd final of the Benson and Hedges World series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The series of five finals were tied at 1-1. Australia had put a total of 242 on the board. New Zealand fought hard and reached a point where they needed another 15 runs to seal the match.

Trevor Chappell, the brother of Greg, was bowling the last over. He conceded eight runs from his first five balls and the Kiwis needed another seven runs to win from the last ball. A six would have tied the game. However, as Brian McKechnie was getting ready to take the strike, Greg walked up to his brother and gave him the most bizarre suggestion.

Greg Chappell asked Trevor to bowl the final delivery underarm as it would restrict the batsman from hitting a six off the final ball. Greg then went and informed the umpire of this decision so that the batsman knows. Trevor bowled the ball underarm and this incident became the probably one of the most infamous one in Australian cricket history. Greg Chappell was heavily criticised for this as everyone felt this move was against the spirit of the game.