Ian Michael Chappell (born 26 September 1943) is an Australian commentator and former cricketer. Known as "Chappelli", he is considered as one of the greatest captains the game has seen.MCG biography: Ian Chappell. Retrieved 20 August 2007. An Aussie to the core. Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 September 2007.ESPN-STAR sports sign Ian Chappell. The Hindu. Retrieved 2 October 2007.Sport Australia Hall of Fame: Ian Chappell. Retrieved 27 September 2020. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation. Born into a cricketing family—his grandfather and brother also captained Australia—Chappell made a hesitant start to international cricket playing as a right-hand middle-order batsman and spin bowler. He found his niche when promoted to bat at number three. Chappell's blunt verbal manner led to a series of confrontations with opposition players and cricket administrators; the issue of sledging first arose during his tenure as captain, and he was a driving force behind the professionalisation of Australian cricket in the 1970s.Cashman et al. (1996), p 103. He was the captain of the Australian squad which finished as runners-up at the 1975 Cricket World Cup.
John Arlott called him "a cricketer of effect rather than the graces".Ian Chappell player profile. Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 August 2007. An animated presence at the batting crease, he constantly adjusted his equipment and clothing, and restlessly tapped his bat on the ground as the bowler ran in. Basing his game on a sound defence learned during many hours of childhood lessons, Chappell employed the drive and square cut to full effect. He had an idiosyncratic method of playing back and across to a ball of full length and driving wide of mid-on,Simpson (1996), p 54. but his trademark shot was the hook, saying "three bouncers an over should be worth 12 runs to me".p37, David Gower, Heroes and Contemporaries, Granada Publishing Ltd, 1985 A specialist slip fielder, he was the fourth player to take one hundred Test catches.
Since his retirement in 1980, he has pursued a high-profile career as a sports journalist and cricket commentator, predominantly with Channel Nine. He remains a key figure in Australian cricket: in 2006, Shane Warne called Chappell the biggest influence on his career.In Warne's Words. The Age. Retrieved 8 October 2007. Chappell was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986, the FICA Cricket Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2003.Cricket's Hall of Fame welcomes five new members. Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 August 2007. On 9 July 2009, Ian Chappell was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Family and early career The first of four sons (Ian, Greg, Trevor, Michel) born in Unley, near Adelaide, to Martin and Jeanne (), Chappell was steeped in the game from an early age. His father was a noted Adelaide grade cricketer who put a bat in his hands as soon as he could walk, and his maternal grandfather was famous all-round sportsman Vic Richardson, who captained Australia at the end of a nineteen-Test career. Chappell was given weekly batting lessons from the age of five, as were younger brothers Greg and Trevor, who both also went on to play for Australia.Mallett (2005), pp 7–8.
Chappell grew up in the beachside suburb of Glenelg and attended the local St Leonard's Primary School where he played his first competitive match at the age of seven. He was later selected for the South Australian state schoolboys team.Mallett (2005), p 11. He then enrolled at Prince Alfred College, a private secondary school noted for producing many Test cricketers, including the Australian captains Joe Darling and Clem Hill. His other sporting pursuits included Australian football and baseball: Chappell's performances for South Australia in the Claxton Shield won him All-Australian selection in 1964 and 1966 as a catcher. He credits Vic Richardson, who had represented both SA and Australia in baseball during the 1920s, for his love of the sport.WA Claxton Shield club. Retrieved 18 August 2007. At the age of 18, his form in grade cricket for Glenelg led to his first-class debut for South Australia (SA) against Tasmania in early 1962.
The aggressive style of Sobers and of South Australia captain Les Favell heavily influenced Chappell during his formative years in senior cricket.Chappell (1976), pp 40–41. In 1962–63, Chappell made his initial first-class century against a New South Wales team led by Australian captain Richie Benaud, who was bemused by the young batsman's habit of gritting his teeth as he faced up; to Benaud, it looked as if he was grinning.Mallett (2005), p 20. Chappell spent the northern summer of 1963 as a professional in England's Lancashire League with Ramsbottom and played a single first-class match for Lancashire against Cambridge University.Where are they now? Ian Chappell. Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
International career In 1963–64, Chappell batted at number three for SA for the first time, in a match against Queensland at Brisbane, and scored 205 not out.Brayshaw (1984), pp 30–33. He was the youngest member of the SA team that won the Sheffield Shield that season.1963–64 Sheffield Shield winning team reunites. Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 August 2007. A century against Victoria early the following season resulted in Chappell's selection for a one-off Test against Pakistan at Melbourne in December 1964. He made 11 and took four catches,Australia v Pakistan scorecard. Wisden, 1966 edition Retrieved 17 August 2007. but was dropped until the Fourth Test in the 1965–66 Ashes series. Chappell supplemented his aggressive batting with brilliant fielding in the slips, and he showed promise as a leg-spinner. At this point, the selectors and captain Bob Simpson considered him an all-rounder: he batted at number seven and bowled 26 (eight-ball) overs for the match.
Hesitant start He retained his place for the following Test and for the tour of South Africa in summer 1966–67. Playing in a team defeated 1–3, Chappell struggled to make an impression. His highest score in ten Test innings was 49, while his five wickets cost 59 runs each.Cricinfo Statsguru: Ian Chappell. Retrieved 11 November 2007. On the advice of Simpson, he ceased playing the hook shot as it was often leading to his dismissal.Mallett (2005), p 26. In the first Test of 1967–68 against India, he failed twice batting in the middle order. Heading into the second Test at Melbourne, Chappell's place was in jeopardy, but he rode his luck to score 151 – his innings contained five chances that the Indians failed to take. However, in the remainder of the series, he managed only 46 runs in four innings, so his selection for the 1968 tour of England was based as much on potential as form.
In England, Chappell rewarded the faith of the selectors by scoring the most first-class runs on the tour (1,261 runs, including 202 not out against Warwickshire), leading the Australian Test aggregates with 348 runs (at 43.50).Mallett (2005), p 30. His top score was 81 in the fourth Test at Leeds. Wisden lauded his play off the back foot and judged him the most difficult Australian batsman to dismiss.The Australians in England 1968. Wisden, 1969 edition. Retrieved 19 August 2007.
Promotion to number three A string of big scores and a record number of catches during the 1968–69 season earned Chappell the Australian Cricketer of the Year award.Chappell (1976), p 80. Against the touring West Indies, Chappell hit 188 not out, 123, 117, 180 and 165 before the New Year. Two of these centuries came in the Test series, when Chappell's average for 548 runs was 68.50. Chappell was elevated to number three in the batting order and became a less-frequent bowler; he was also appointed vice-captain of the team.
Following up with a successful tour of India in late 1969, Chappell demonstrated his fluency against spin bowling by compiling Test innings of 138 at Delhi and 99 at Kolkata. His ability against both fast and slow bowling earned high praise,The Australians in Ceylon and India 1969–70. Wisden, 1971 edition. Retrieved 20 August 2007. including from his captain Bill Lawry. When the Australians arrived in South Africa in early 1970, following their victory over India, Lawry told the local media that Chappell was the best all-round batsman in the world.When they were kings. Cricinfo: Retrieved 17 August 2007. His appraisal looked misguided when Chappell managed just 92 runs (at 11.5 average), with a top score of 34, as Australia lost 0–4.
On this tour, Chappell clashed with cricket administrators over pay and conditions for the first time. The South African authorities requested that an extra Test be added to the fixture and the Australian Board of Control consented. Incensed that the players were not consulted about the change, Chappell led a group of his teammates in a demand for more money to play the proposed game. Eventually the match was cancelled after Chappell and his supporters refused to back down.Australia's no pay, no play tour. Cricinfo: Retrieved 19 August 2007.
Captaincy
Chappell became South Australian captain when the long-serving Les Favell retired at the start of the 1970–1971 season.Harte (1993), p 531. His younger brother Greg made his debut in the second Test of the summer against Ray Illingworth's England. Facing an English attack led by the hostile fast bowling of John Snow, Chappell scored a half-century in each of the first two Tests, but failed to capitalise on good starts while Greg Chappell scored 108 in his initial innings.2nd Test Australia v England, match report. Wisden, 1972 edition. Retrieved 13 November 2007. Rain caused the abandonment of the third Test without a ball being bowled. Temporarily promoted to open the batting, Chappell failed in the fourth Test as Australia lost. In the fifth Test at Melbourne, he returned to number three and started nervously. Dropped on 0 and 14, Chappell found form and went on to post his maiden Ashes century (111 from 212 balls),5th Test Australia v England, match report. Wisden, 1972 edition. Retrieved 17 August 2007. which he followed with scores of 28 and 104 in the sixth Test.
The washed-out Test resulted in a late change to the schedule and an unprecedented seventh Test was played at Sydney in February 1971.The MCC in Australia and New Zealand 1970–71. Wisden, 1972 edition. Retrieved 17 August 2007. Trailing 0–1 in the series, Australia could retain The Ashes by winning this game. Australia's performances were hampered by playing slow, defensive cricket. In a radical attempt to breathe some aggression into the team, the selectors sacked captain Bill Lawry and appointed Chappell in his stead.The end of a Victorian hero. Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 August 2007. Dismayed by the manner of Lawry's dismissal,7.30 Report (transcript). ABC TV. Retrieved 20 August 2007. Chappell responded with an attacking performance as captain, he won the toss, put England in and dismissed them for 184, and Australia led the first innings by 80 runs, but set 223 to win they folded for 160 and lost The Ashes after holding them for 12 years. Chappell gained some consolation at the end of a dramatic summer when he led SA to the Sheffield Shield, the team's first win for seven years.Mallett (2005), p 55.
Chappell's battles against the short-pitched bowling of Snow during the season compelled him to reappraise his game. Following a conversation with Sir Donald Bradman, he decided to reinstate the hook shot and spent the winter months practising the stroke by hitting baseballs thrown by his brother Greg.Chappell (1976), pp 74–75.
A team in his own image