Speed Chappell Into Retirement

By Indian Cricket Fever
March 3 2010

Is it time that Ian Chappell was put out to pasture to join fellow countryman Malcolm Speed to peacefully chew the cud away from the spotlight?

Malcolm Speed must be an uncomfortable man these days, despite enjoying a much deserved retirement. The reason for his discomfort could be these disparaging words he had uttered about the BCCI about 3 years ago:

“I have read a lot about India's money power. But we don't judge sporting organizations on the basis of how much money they have. What matters in the end is performance,' Speed had said.

'The criteria for judging organizations is how their team has performed, how well they look after their stakeholders and how many good cricketers they produce. I am not trying to be critical of India, but the last time they have won a major title was in 1983,' he added.”

Now that India are the top ranked Test team in the world, and Australia are well below them, wonder if he thinks the same way about Cricket Australia?

Similarly his views of the then novice Lalit Modi reek of a superior patronizing tone. Here is what he said about the IPL chairman:

"Mr Modi has expressed a lot of opinions, often strident ones, about the ICC." "We see those opinions, we note them and take them into account, but it should be pointed out that Mr Modi has never been to an ICC meeting..” "I think he has a lot of promise as a cricket administrator and I think he has done a great deal for the BCCI in that one year. But there are other people within Indian cricket, and several of them have attended ICC meetings and understand how it operates, as a democracy." Wonder what his views on Modi are today?

Another man eating humble pie these days is Ian Michael Chappell.

What is it with Australians and putting their foot in their mouths? Must be the in the genes.

Anyway, in case you have forgotten this is what Chappell wrote:

“If Tendulkar had found an honest mirror three years ago and asked the question, 'Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the best batsman of all?', it would've answered, 'Brian Charles Lara.' If he asked that same mirror right now,'Mirror, mirror on the wall, should I retire?', the answer would be, 'Yes'," writes Chappell.

Chappell also said Tendulkar has been in decline for a while now, and suggests he is playing for himself, not the team he said: "At the moment he looks like a player trying to eke out a career; built on a glittering array of statistics. If he really is playing for that reason and not to help win as many matches as he can for India then he is wasting his time and should retire immediately."

Ian Chappell also recently opined that India wouldn’t hold on to their No. 1 Test ranking very long. India now seem set to hold on to their spot at least till the end of this year, and maybe longer.

So the question to ask is should Ian Chappell now hang up his pen and quit as a cricket journalist? He looks like a commentator trying to eke out a career, built on his successful stint as Captain of Australia, by seeking to use the good name of Sachin Tendulkar to generate interest in his writing. If he is really writing about India and Tendulkar for that reason and not to objectively assess the game then he is wasting his time and should retire immediately.

Speed Chappell Into Retirement

Posted by: Indian Cricket Fever (IP Logged)

Date: 03/03/2010 23:03

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:03:11:20:43:31 by Birbal.