A FAMOUS sports quote reads: "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing."

Victory at all costs is something that former Australian Test player Trevor Chappell is all too familiar with.

Trevor Chappell is one of international cricket's infamous names.
ST PHOTO: Samuel He

Chappell, who recently took up a 50-day coaching stint with the Singapore national cricket team, is arguably one of the sport's more infamous names.

Here's why: On Feb 1, 1981, Australia were playing New Zealand in the third match of the World Series Cup final, with the score tied at 1-1. New Zealand needed six runs to tie the match from the final ball.

To ensure victory, then-Australian captain Greg Chappell, who is also Trevor’s brother, told him to bowl underarm. Or as Trevor reenacted, Greg asked: "How's your underarm bowling?"

As all at the Melbourne Cricket Ground found out, it was spot on. Trevor successfully prevented New Zealand batsman Brian McKechnie from hitting a six.

The incident sparked an outcry.

Then Prime Minister of New Zealand, Rob Muldoon, called it "the most disgusting incident I can recall in the history of cricket", while former Aussie captain Richie Benaud said it was "one of the worst things I have ever seen done on a cricket field."

It even resulted in the International Cricket Council banning underarm bowling in limited-overs cricket.

Quite an impact for rolling a ball 20 metres. And the reverberations are still being felt by Chappell.

The 56-year-old told The Straits Times on Tuesday: "I've been hearing about the incident almost every day for the last 28 years."

So synonymous is his name with the incident, that it becomes the first thing people recall when they hear his name.

Singapore Cricket Association deputy president Mahmood Gaznavi even spoke about how the Singapore national team were all keen to get Chappell's take on the day's events when they learnt who their newest coach was. But they figured that it was better not to probe.

I could not resist.

To my surprise, Chappell was candid about the incident, and even joked that he is still the fastest underarm bowler — a title no one can take away from him now.

"Of course, I'd prefer my career to be known for something else other than one delivery. But if I wasn't remembered for that, I probably wouldn't be remembered at all."

Despite all the criticism, Chappell makes no apologies for doing what he felt he needed to do.

Fair play?

"If I was asked to do it tomorrow, I'd do it again," he said. "If I was in that situation, trying to stop a team from winning, I'd do whatever I can."

Now that he is a coach, he has no qualms talking to his charges about sporting values.

Back in Sydney, Australia, he taught teenagers to play hard and play fair. The Singapore national team should be told the same.

But a little bit of Chappell's competitiveness could also come in handy as the Republic bids to win the World Cricket League division 6 tournament next month.

After all, Vince Lombardi once said: "If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?"