Ian Meckiff
An Australian fast bowler whose career was abruptly ended by a controversial throwing call, forever linking him to cricket's great dramas.
Born 1935 (age 91)·Australian cricketer·Birthday: January 6·The Silent Generation
Biography
Ian Meckiff's cricket story is one of thrilling pace, historic moments, and sudden, crushing controversy. The left-arm quick burst onto the Test scene in the late 1950s, his slinging action generating disconcerting speed. He played a central, if unintended, role in creating legend in 1960: as the batsman run out in a frantic final play, he was the last man dismissed in the first-ever Tied Test against the West Indies. Just three years later, his career imploded in a single, seismic over. During the 1963-64 series against South Africa, umpire Col Egar called him for throwing four times in one over, effectively branding him a 'chucker' and forcing his immediate retirement. This public execution was the climax of a long-simmering media panic about illegal actions. Meckiff left the game not with a slow decline, but with a stark, defining verdict that continues to spark debate about technique, fairness, and the pressures of sporting scrutiny.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Ian was born in 1935, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1935
#1 Movie
Mutiny on the Bounty
Best Picture
Mutiny on the Bounty
Ian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1935Born
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1940Started school
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1948Became a teenager
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1951Could drive
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1953Could vote
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Turned 21
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1965Turned 30
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 40
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 50
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 60
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 70
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 80
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2026Age 91 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Represented Australia in 18 Test matches, taking 45 wickets with his left-arm fast bowling.
- Was the batting runner whose run-out by Joe Solomon resulted in the first Tied Test in cricket history in 1960.
- Took a five-wicket haul on his Test debut against South Africa in 1957.
Did You Know?
He was a talented Australian rules football player in his youth, playing for the Victorian Football Association.
After cricket, he had a successful career in radio broadcasting and public relations.
The ball from the final, tie-inducing run-out in the 1960 Test is displayed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Museum.
“I bowled fast and straight, and the rest was for the umpires to decide.”
