Ian Chappell was a very good international cricketer - one of the premier Australian batsmen of his era, and a very astute captain. He was also a typically brash Aussie.
Chappell's no-nonsense style and his deep understanding of the game typify his cricket commentary as well. Chappell and Barry Richards are perhaps the best cricket commentators in the world today. For some reason Richards has disappeared from the scene, but thankfully Chappell continues to do commentary. Chappell is such a great commentator because he shares insights that are not obvious to even the serious cricket fan. When Chappell is doing commentary, I am as interested in listening to his insights as watching the game. In contrast, there are many other "experts" who make me reach for the remote to hit the mute button. Ranjit Fernando is perhaps the worst of the lot, with Navjot Singh Sidhu a close runner up in that department.
Chappell has never been known to be diplomatic or to shun controversy. Thankfully he brings the same insigts and candor to his columns. He writes an opinion piece regularly on Cricinfo and it is always a great read.
Here's his latest piece: http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/485846.html
Keep writing Ian - you are a gift for the serious cricket fan. And if you are listening, please track down Barry Richards, and get him into that commentary box with you!
No comments:
Post a Comment