Ian Chappell gets off air at 78!

It took an interview for Ian Chappell to indicate to the cricketing world that he had ended his broadcasting career No buildups to the final full stop and no public address system announcements like spectators at Lordrsquos heard when the great John Arlott completed his final stint of his 34year Test commentary career on Day Five of the 1980 Centenary Test between England and AustraliaChappell doesnrsquot stand on ceremony He didnrsquot even do so when it came to quitting the Australia captaincy in 1975 after winning his second Ashes series on the trot The players came to know of his captaincy farewell after the final Test of that series One of those surprised teammates was his brother Greg who was soon to take over the captaincy When Greg asked him about his decision the elder brother just said ldquoyou will know when itrsquos time to gordquoThe senior Chappell came back to lead Australia in Kerry Packerrsquos World Series Cricket from 197778 to 197980 but that was only on the insistence of the business tycoonChappell spent over three decades commentating for Packerrsquos Channel Nine but he started in 197677 with Ten Network for the Australia v Pakistan Test series Chappell went to England as commentator for the 1977 Ashes during which he was confronted by his former teammate Kerry OrsquoKeefe for criticising his bowling and insisting how much better Ashley Mallett wasOrsquoKeefe was soon reminded by Chappell that his television had various buttons and if hersquod put the big one off he wouldnrsquot see nor hear him anymoreThe 1943born South Australian became a regular commentator in 198081 It was an Australian summer full of controversies none more explosive than the underarm delivery ordered and bowled by brothers Greg and Trevor respectively Chappell didnrsquot have to comment about the incident on air but he did write an article slamming Greg for his extraordinary decisionIn the commentary box Chappell experienced the joys of enjoying onersquos job If he thought a player was struggling hersquod say so either on air or in his pieces He was the ultimate pro Ask Harsha Bhogle who tweeted on Monday ldquoNever pulled a punch told it as it is never talked down to anyone wonderful professional amp my role model for broadcasting work ethic The great IanChappell thinks it is time to retire from broadcasting Was a privilege to work with him amp I hope that proud voice is always heardrdquoIn my opinion one of the finest interviews Bhogle conducted was with Chappell who spoke to him in Sydney in the build up to the 1996 World Cup When Bhogle reminded him that he was a very forthright cricket commentator one who would not hesitate to say that a particular player needed a kick up his backside Chappell was quick to exclaim ldquoI said that about Mohammed Azharuddin when he played a poor shot at Adelaide one day in the 199192 series especially since he was the captainrdquo I heard this taped interview on the way to Ahmedabad to cover the first match of the 1996 World Cup and a few days later I was to witness what a professional Chappell was The World Cup caravan on Indian soil moved from Ahmedabad to Baroda for the New Zealand v Holland match Just as I was watching the practice sessions of both teams I heard a familiar voice speaking to one of the Dutch players It was Chappell reminding Nolan Clarke that he had played against him in the Barbados versus Australians game on his 197273 tour of the West IndiesA little later someone asked Chappell the reason for him being at the Baroda nets on match eve He revealed he was there as he wanted to ensure he got the pronunciation right of the Dutch players who he would have to mention during commentary the following dayWhen I toured England in 2007 it dawned on me that Chappell had spent 30 years as a commentator and the landmark merited an interview on broadcastingOver the next hour Chappell told fellow journalist Siddhartha Vaidyanathan and me how he entered the commentary sphere what he likes what he abhors and also about the time he got into trouble with Packer for swearing on airmdashtwiceWe have read reports of him turning down a lucrative commentary contract because the terms did not align to his Iwonrsquotacceptrestrictions credoNo patron saint of diplomacy Chappell has had other battles with people whom he was critical of but Irsquoll keep that for another day After all he has only quit commentary and will continue to write columns He has always said he enjoys writing more than commentary He has been sending his fortnightly column for this newspaper since late 2001 without a gap and has never missed a newspaper deadline in 48 yearsChappell has quit only one form of the game as it were The one he will continue to lsquoplayrsquo writing will still bring out his craft his turn of phrase his wit and his most admirable traitmdashhonestymiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stanceHe tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper