Trevor Chappell, the man who caused a storm of controversy by bowling underarm to New Zealand in 1981, says Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft are now responsible for Australian cricket's "darkest day".
Chappell was ordered by his brother and captain Greg to deliver the last ball of the final over underarm against New Zealand in the World Series Cup at the MCG, denying Australia's opponents a fair opportunity to score the winning runs.
While not illegal, the tactic was widely derided and the International Cricket Council later banned it as being "not within the spirit of the game".
MORE: Report: Australian coach Darren Lehmann to resign after ball-tampering scandal
On Saturday, Australian cricket was plunged into scandal after Smith admitted the team's leadership group had instructed Bancroft to deliberately interfere with the surface of the ball using a piece of yellow tape in the third Test against South Africa.
Smith was hit with a one-match ban by the ICC and - along with Bancroft and David Warner - has been sent home from South Africa pending further punishment.
As Cricket Australia's integrity officials conduct an investigation to determine the facts of the matter, Chappell has suggested the players involved could come to have their careers defined by the incident.
"What I did has lived with me ever since and it will be the same for Smith and Bancroft," he told The Daily Telegraph.
"They will struggle for the rest of their lives and be known as the ones who brought Australian cricket into disrepute.
"I'm the last one who comes up on Google as the man who took the lead role in Australian cricket's darkest day — it's a real relief I can finally drop that title."
Chappell's brother Greg later served as an Australian selector and India coach, while Ian Chappell went on to become a high-profile broadcaster.
And Trevor feels his role as the man who executed the controversial delivery against New Zealand limited his potential upon retirement.
"I thought it was a good idea to underarm bowl at the time but not these days," he said.
"I struggled a lot with it mentally, I was vilified for years and people will still ask about it.
"I don't know if my brothers have done better in life than me after what happened, Greg copped it at the time, but the quiet life certainly chose me after that — my marriage broke down and I never remarried or had kids.
"These days all I do is coach cricket to kids and play golf."
After initial reports claimed he was going to resign, coach Darren Lehmann looks set to keep his job.
Ball tampering incidents in cricket
| The Incident | The punishment |
|---|---|
| Mike Atherton caught with dirt in his pockets in 1994 | Atherton said he used the dirt to dry his hands and was fined |
| Sachin Tendulkar was caught scuffing the seam of a ball in 2001 | Banned for one match |
| Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson allegedly stepped on a ball in 2010 | No formal allegations were made |
| Shahid Afridi caught biting a ball during a T20 against Australia in 2010 | Suspended for two T20 matches |
| Faf du Plessis caught scuffing the ball on the zip of his pants in 2013 | Fined 50% of his match fee |
| Vernon Philander scratched the ball with his finger and thumb in 2014 | Fined 75% of his match fee |
| Faf du Plessis spotted using a mint to shine the ball against Australia in 2016 | Fined 100% of his match fee |