Griffin was unfortunate to emerge on the international scene at a time when cricketing authorities were particularly concerned about the growing proliferation of bowlers with dubious actions and were determined to eradicate it.
[1] His figures included 7 wickets for 11 runs in the extraordinary Currie Cup match at East London on 19–21 December 1959, in which Natal dismissed Border for 16 and 18.
[2][3] These performances were significant, because a Test tour of England was scheduled for 1960, and South Africa were looking for a partner for their star fast bowler Neil Adcock.
[2] According to Griffin's Wisden obituarist many years later, his bent arm "allied to an open-chested action, with front foot splayed towards gully, made him look more like a baseball pitcher than a conventional bowler".
"[5] It was Griffin's misfortune that his emergence as a possible Test bowler occurred at a time when the matter of illegal bowling was an issue of considerable and rising concern among cricket's international authorities.
[5] Incidents in a recent England tour to Australia had brought the issue to the fore; South Africa were, therefore taking some risk in selecting Griffin.
[1] England's Tony Lock was called for throwing during a Test Match in the West Indies, in 1953–54 (he subsequently remodelled his bowling action).
[2] Neither England's captain, Peter May, nor the tour manager, Freddie Brown, raised the issue publicly during the series, but did so afterwards, causing considerable concern to the leading administrators on each side, Gubby Allen and Sir Donald Bradman.
During this game the umpire Paul Gibb called the Derbyshire fast bowler Harold Rhodes six times for throwing, but Griffin remained unmolested.
[9] In his next county game, against Essex, on 14–17 May, Griffin again escaped attention from the umpires, but members of the media, including the writer and former Test bowler Ian Peebles, wrote that "there was something amiss".
Langridge was one of the umpires, but the match passed without official incident, Griffin taking two wickets in each of England's innings in a game comprehensively lost by the tourists.
[2][10] However, a week later in Southampton, in the match against Hampshire, Griffin was called again, so his inclusion in the South African side for the Second Test at Lord's, on 23–27 June, was something of a risk.
Because a visit from the Queen was scheduled for later that afternoon, to fill the available time the teams agreed to play an exhibition match of 20 overs per side.
[6] Griffin was allowed to finish the over by bowling underarm, but was then pedantically no-balled again by Lee, standing at square leg, for failing to notify him of the change of action.
He remained with the team, and played in a number of subsequent matches as a specialist batsman, generally in the lower order,[5] but on a couple of occasions as an opener.
[5] The England batsman Peter Walker, who played at Lord's, was unequivocal: "There was absolutely no doubt in either Mike [Smith]'s or my mind that he threw virtually every ball".
[5] Some believed that Griffin had been deliberately scapegoated,[2] as part of a conspiracy to ensure that Australia's suspect bowlers were excluded from the forthcoming 1961 tour of England.
In support of the conspiracy theory the journalist Martin Chandler, in his analysis of the throwing controversy, writes that umpire Lee may have been instructed by Allen, during a rain break in England's innings in the Lord's Test, to take a firmer line against Griffin, who had largely escaped attention in the match at that point in time, but was afterwards called on six occasions in rapid succession.
Analysis through modern technology, however, demonstrated that every bowler, on delivery of the ball, flexed his arm to some extent, and the Laws were changed to reflect this; a 15-degree elbow bend was thenceforth permitted.