Greg Chappell, former Australian cricketer penned down an open letter for current skipper Tim Paine after the latter was involved in a controversy during the third Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
During the final day’s play in the 3rd Test at Sydney, he had a verbal war with Ravichandran Ashwin and resorted to abuses. Tim Paine, thereafter, apologized admitting that he got a bit carried away in the heat of the moment.
Greg Chappell: It’s Always An Honour To Represent Country And Privilege To Lead The Team
Greg Chappell, who had represented Australia in 87 Tests and 74 ODIs, said that being a skipper, Tim Paine needs to lead from the front and not get overawed by the situation. The veteran mentioned that being the skipper of a team comes with a massive responsibility on shoulders.
“It is always an honour to represent the country and it is a huge privilege to be invited to be the captain,” Chappell’s letter in the Sydney Morning Herald read.
“The captain is expected to uphold the highest standards, through his actions and restraint even under extreme pressure. I failed to do this 40 years ago and I urge you to bear this in mind for the future,” he stated.
Greg Chappell, who scored 27 tons and 45 fifties for the Aussies in his 13-year long career, asked Tim Paine to show some character. The duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Tim Paine got into a bitter verbal spat on Day 5 of the Test match. Tim Paine’s banter behind stumps was picked up by the stump microphone, with many experts and commentators condemning his unsportsmanlike behaviour.
The Aussie skipper Tim Paine dropped as many as three catches on the 5th day’s play, as he failed to lead his side to victory in the third Test. The 36-year-old was also fined 15% of his match fee after being found guilty of dissent for appealing to umpire Paul Wilson after a review didn’t go the hosts’ way on Day 3.
Greg Chappell: Abuse Isn’t Acceptable And Doesn’t Show Strength But Displays Weakness Of Character
The 72-year-old Greg Chappell from South Australia told Tim Paine to show his attacking instinct with cricketing prowess. In the 4th Test, he scored exactly 50 in Australia’s 1st innings score of 369 while India are 62/2 before rain stopped play.
“Abuse is not acceptable in any workplace and talk, in my opinion, is cheap. It does not show one’s strength. Rather, it displays a weakness of character,” Chappell mentioned.
“I urge you to impress on the team to let the bat and ball do the talking and set better examples to millions of impressionable little boys and girls, lest they start imitating the worst instincts and actions of their sporting heroes. This will be the greatest legacy that you can leave,” Chappell added.
Tim Paine has been leading the Australian Test team since the infamous ball-tampering scandal back in March 2018 at the Newlands in Cape Town. He was the skipper in the limited-overs formats as well only to be replaced by Aaron Finch later on after being defeated by England 5-0 in ODIs. The infamous ball-tampering scandal saw a year-long ban for then skipper Steve Smith and David Warner who were also stripped of the captaincy.