Cairns accused of intimidation

Press, 29 December 1980, Page 1

Cairns accused of intimidation

NZPA Melbourne The “Higgs incident” of the third Australia-New Zealand cricket test was given front-page banner headline treatment by Australian newspapers. Higgs was. caught from a Lance Cairns “bouncer” on Saturday, but the umpire, Mr Robin Bailhache, ruled it a no-ball under the “unfair play rule.” “Higgs bounces . into trouble;” - said the frontpage ' headlines ofthe' “Melbourne Herald,” in which Rod Nicholson described Cairns as a “slow-, medium” bowler. ?'

In the same newspaper, Richie Benaud, the former Australian captain, said the ruling “made a farce of the laws of the game and the authority given the umpires.” “To accuse Cairns of intimidation is one of the

jokes of 1980,” wrote Benaud-

Writing in the “Sunday Press,” Keith Stackpole, the former test opening batsman, said, “I wonder what would happen to an umpire in the West Indies if Australia needed 10 to win with the last man in and a similar incident occurred?”

lan Chappell, the former Australian captain, said in an interview that, it was fortunate that “Lance Cairns is ; an even-tem-pered kind of bloke.” “Just imagine what might have happened if Colin Croft or Michael Holding, the West Indians, or Lenny Pascoe or Dennis Lillee, the Australians, had been the bowler involved. , , , “It was a decision of an umpire who did not really realise what goes on in the middle,” Chappell said. Test report, back page