Failure in major tournaments often leads to retirements from captaincy, a particular format of cricket or from international cricket altogether. The 2025 Champions Trophy has proved to be no exception.
In the wake of England’s failure to reach the semi-finals its captain, Jos Buttler, has resigned as white ball captain, two years after lifting the T20 World Cup in November 2022. Australia’s defeat at the semi-final stage led Steve Smith to announce his retirement from the ODI format. It is too early to know if any of India’s stalwarts will make similar judgements after Sunday’s Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai.
Alongside these announcements, the one that really caught my eye was from a former player turned commentator and journalist. Ian Chappell captained Australia between 1971 and 1975, retiring from all first class cricket a year later. However, in 1977, he was lured out of this by Kerry Packer, who established World Series Cricket as a competitor to cricket played under cricket’s establishment. This appealed to Chappell’s support of the fight to increase players’ remuneration and his irreverent attitude toward administrators and the establishment in general.
He moulded an Australian team between 1971 and 1975 very much in his own image. As an attacking No. 3 batter, Chappell was never afraid to take the bowlers head on and he encouraged his players in the practice of “sledging,” or verbally abusing, players from opposing sides. A win-at-all-costs approach earned the team the sobriquet of “ugly Aussies,” during a series against New Zealand. Chappell was loyal to his players and they returned this in abundance.
On his return to captaincy in the WSC, Chappell needed these attributes to counter the fearsome might of a pack of West Indian fast bowlers. After Packer and the Australian authorities reached rapprochement in 1979, WSC was wound up. Chappell played Test matches for one more season and retired for a second time in 1980.
His next foray was into the commentary box and journalism. His blunt and honest opinions about players and administrators may have grated with many, but he was unbiased, non-partisan and principled, seeking to uphold the game’s integrity.
This was famously exemplified when his youngest brother, Trevor, was instructed by his next youngest brother, Greg, to bowl the last ball of an ODI match in underarm fashion to prevent New Zealand having the opportunity to hit a six to tie the match. Ian’ s first reaction was “No Greg, no, you cannot do that,” followed by the harsher “Fair dinkum Greg, how much pride do you sacrifice to win $35,000?” His reaction echoed the thoughts of those listeners and cricket lovers who felt that the act impugned the integrity of the game.
Chappell’s take on the infamous “sandpaper-gate” incident in 2018 is also instructive of his lack of bias. During a Test match at Newlands, Cape Town, Australian fielder Cameron Bancroft was filmed applying sandpaper on the ball to assist it to swing in flight. The fall-out resulted in year-long bans for the Australian captain at the time, Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and nine months for Bancroft. Two years after the incident, Chappell revealed that the Australian team had received prior warning over “doing something with the ball.”
He added that “what happened in Newlands, apart from the fact that it was illegal, was absolute stupidity. How do you think you can get away with all those cameras in the ground?” He was also of the view that “anyone who thought there were only three people involved” was deluded and that “anybody trying to say that that was the only time that it happened with Australia” was similarly affected.
Both Smith and Warner returned to play again for Australia, albeit not to everyone’s approval. It has not been clear if the bans influenced the players’ approach to the game. During the recent Champions Trophy group match between Australia and Afghanistan, the latter’s Noor Ahmad wandered out of his ground after the last ball of an over, before the umpire had called over. Ahmad was given out but Smith, as captain, withdrew the appeal. Whether he wanted to avoid another microscopic examination of Australia’s behaviour or whether he has genuinely espoused “sportsmanship” may never be known.
Unlike the incredulous reaction of some Australians, Chappell’s view on Smith’s action is unrecorded. Chappell announced, suddenly, that his Feb. 23 ESPNcricinfo column would be his last. This represents the end of his five-decade journalistic career. Chappell said that it was the right time to “put down the pen and pack away the computer,” adding that the decision was as emotional as it had been stepping away from playing.
In recent times Chappell has become extremely critical of the way in which cricket’s landscape is being shaped by its administrators. This is one which belongs to franchise T20 leagues with Test cricket pushed to the margins. In a coruscating comment he said that “the ICC is widely regarded as an event management company. They should add ‘and not a very good one.’” He went on to say that “cricket being run by a competent ICC is a pipe dream. Hence the growing T20 calendar and the current scheduling schemozzle that plagues the game.”
Perhaps his decision to put down the pen is a realization that this direction of travel is inevitable and that whatever he says on the subject will be ineffectual. By retiring, he has spared himself the opportunity to comment on the way in which the ICC has managed the Champions Trophy. In particular, this applies to the absurdity of the final not being played in the host country, all because India refuse to play in Pakistan. On the timing of his retirement, Chappell revealed that in his playing days he asked former Australia captain Richie Benaud if retirement was a difficult decision.
“No Ian,” Benaud replied wisely, “It’s easy. You’ll know the right time.”
It appears that he did know. Chappell excelled in playing and leading at the summit of cricket. He challenged those who administer the game and inspired listeners, viewers and readers on radio, television and in print. He excelled in two careers for more than 60 years, building a legacy in both. In cricket’s gold-rush age, Chappell’s authoritative, independent brand of opinion is in danger of being marginalised. His retirement deserves greater regret than others in the past two weeks.
