Ian Chappell reveals the struggles during his battle with skin cancer

Ian Chappell, the legendary Australian cricketer, recently revealed that he is battling skin cancer. But he foresees to be fit to commentate for the high-voltage Ashes 2019 campaign, scheduled to get underway in the first week of August. The veteran has completed five weeks of intense radiation therapy after he had skin cancers, removed from neck, shoulder and underarm.

Much to his delight, the pathology test has come all clear and he is all set to ply his trade in the commentary box for the upcoming Test series, beginning with the first match at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. Chappell is fit to the extent that he was able to attend a family reunion with brothers Trevor and Greg last week. In fact, he worked even when he was under radiotherapy.

“When you hit 70 you feel (vulnerable) anyhow, but I guess I’ve got so used to bloody skin cancers over the years, and the fact that none of them have been melanomas, probably provides a bit of comfort. It may be naivety on my part,” Chappell was quoted as saying in The Telegraph.

Ian Chappell prepared for the worst

Chappell didn’t tell many people about the illness in the initial stages but informed his friends and family after being confident about the treatment. The 75-year-old who has 5,345 runs in 75 Tests from 1964 and 1980, mentioned that the constant tussle with the deadly disease made him prepare for the worst.

“I’ve had multiple skin cancers cut off, burnt off and every other way you can get rid of them. You get to 70 and you start to think, ‘Christ, it’s getting near the end now.’ But I saw my mother, Jeanne, near the end and she’d come to grips with death, and that’s probably when I thought, ‘shit, this is something you need to deal with’,” Chappell added.

The right-hander to date is regarded as one of the most talented cricketers Australia ever produced. In Test cricket, he racked up 14 centuries and 26 half-centuries at an average of 42.42. He also played 16 ODIs in which he notched 673 runs with eight fifties. In domestic cricket though, Chappell piled over 15,000 runs with as many as 45 centuries. His last international appearance was in the Test against England in February 1980.