16 Facts about Greg Chappell: The Gold standard of cricket

Most people will remember Greg Chappell for his controversies. It sometimes is unfathomable that a player of such repute was treated as badly as he had at the end of his playing days. While most suppose that his mistreatment came from his attitude, as a player, Chappell was as amazing as they come. Handed the captaincy upon the stepping down of his brother Ian, Greg Chappell led the Aussies into perhaps what became the best Australian side of the era. Here are some compelling facts about Greg Chappell, perhaps the best there ever was.

1. Born on:

Gregory Stephen Chappell was born on the seventh of August 1948 in Unley, Adelaide, South Australia.

2. The Gold Standard:

Australian cricketers are generally not known for their elegance and flamboyance. Although it is not prevalent now, the Aussies have had a reputation of winning the ugly game. However, in the case of Greg Chappell, the Aussies had a batsman who looked in full flow each time he went out to bat.

3. The tin soldier:

Greg Chappell is only one of four players who boasts of a century in his first and last Test. His debut Test came under Bill Lawry at Perth against England in the 1971 edition of the Ashes where he smashed a little over 100 runs. His final Test came at the SCG against a strong Pakistan side where he smashed a wonderful ton in front of a sell-out crowd.

4. The ‘Chappell Era’:

The 1970s in Australian cricket is usually dubbed the ‘Chappell Era’ due to the dominance of the Chappell brothers during the most part of the 1970s.

5. The disheartened Windies:

Greg Chappell was the new skipper of Australia when the new crop of West Indies players made their way down under. Although this side boasted of players such as Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards, they were still an experienced unit as of 1975-76.There was a lot of hype around the series as well with many calling this a ‘World Championship’ of Test cricket. Under Greg Chappell, the Aussies decimated the Windies 5-1 in the Test series, something that was seen as revenge for failing to win the World Cup final in 1975.

6. Leading from the front:

He was less empathic as a captain than his elder brother Ian, he nonetheless won 21 of his 48 Tests and lost only 13. He lost the Ashes in 1977 but reclaimed them in 1982-83. His feat of scoring centuries in each innings of his captaincy debut is unequaled.

7. The centenary Test:

To celebrate 100 years of Test cricket, Australia, and England faced each other in a centenary Test match in 1977 in Melbourne. Most of the stars, as well as captains from both sides of yesteryear, were flown to Melbourne to witness the spectacle. Even The Queen, the monarch of both England and Australia marked her attendance on the auspicious occasion. Chappell was the skipper of the Australian side that went on to claim a win in that particular match, thereby causing a repeat of the 1877 encounter between the two sides.

8. The Brothers Grimm:

On August 12th, 1972, Ian and Greg Chappell became the first brothers to score a century each in the same innings at the Oval. This record has neither been equaled nor has it been done ever.

9. The capping in Sydney:

The fourth of January 1984 saw perhaps the best Australian batsman of his time hang up his boots and pads. Greg Chappell took the Sydney Cricket Ground field for the last time against Pakistan and went on to smash a wonderful century, signing off in the similar flamboyant way he entered the sport.

10. World Series Cricket:

Chappell signed along with his brother Ian for all the editions of World Series Cricket organized by Tycoon of the Channel nine network Kerry Packer. However, in this case, it was Ian Chappell was handed the captaincy ahead of his younger brother Greg.

11. The tussle with Beefy:

In a Test match at Lord’s, Chappell scored 47 and 59, but his best-remembered contribution to the match was an attempted citizen’s arrest (along with England captain Ian Botham) of an MCC member who attacked one of the umpires in a very ill-tempered scene.

12. Trevor Chappell and the underarm incident:

This is perhaps one incident etched in every cricketing history book ever published since 1981. Trevor Chappell’s underarm delivery was deemed ‘not in the spirit of the game’ as most fingers were pointed at skipper Greg Chappell. However, the former Aussie skipper has stated that the incident does not haunt him and has also taken the blame for the entire incident.

13. Book on the ‘Gentleman’:

Chappell wrote his latest book on Indian skipper Rahul Dravid, stating that the Indian skipper at the time was not given the support he deserved.

14. The Labyrinth of Indian politics:

As mentioned earlier, Chappell is a very unpopular man in the Indian subcontinent. In spite of unearthing players such as MS Dhoni as well as Suresh Raina, Chappell’s unpopularity with the players coupled with the political system of the BCCI at the time saw him ousted from his post shortly after the 2007 World Cup.

15. The clash of egos with Ganguly:

Chappell’s spat with former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly was a well-documented one and something that was extensively covered by the Indian media. Years after the Indians claimed the 2011 World Cup, many retired players like Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan came out of the dark and criticized the coaching methods employed by Chappell.

16. No-entry:

Chappell took on the role of the national selector for the first time since 1984 in the year 2012 when he replaced Merv Hughes. His period coincided with a lack of success for the test team, losing the 2010–11 Ashes to England 3–1, although they defeated Sri Lanka 1–0. Chappell was banned from the Australian dressing room at the request of the players. He was later sacked as a selector during the Sri Lanka tour in August 2011.