Almanac Books – ‘Playing to Win: Australia and the 1972 Ashes’ by Barry Nicholls – an extract.

 

 

 

Prologue

 

Ian Chappell was perched on a stool at the bar of the Overway Hotel in Hindley Street as the lunchtime crowd bustled past on their way to the thoroughfare leading to the Adelaide Railway Station. The critics were off Chappell’s back after he had scored his second century of the 1970/71 Ashes summer in the Sixth Test. The press had long aimed at Australia’s top order for failing to combat England’s firebrand opening bowlers John Snow and Bob Willis and, before that, the South African pace duo of Peter Pollock and Mike Procter.

 

That day, Chappell was enjoying a schnitzel pub lunch and two schooners between jobs as a sales rep for cigarette company W.D. & H.O. Wills when the barman approached. ‘There’s a phone call for you.’ Chappell picked up the receiver and heard the voice of former SA teammate Alan ‘Sheffield’ Shiell.

‘Congratulations. You’re the captain of Australia.’

‘Bullshit, you’re joking,’ Chappell replied.

‘They’ve sacked Lawry. You’re the captain.’

 

Chappell couldn’t believe it. He leaned back in his chair and ordered another beer.

 

‘Shit, captain of Australia.’

 

Lawry, meanwhile, found out he’d been dropped while listening to the radio. When Chappell arrived home, he greeted his wife Kay with the news and, referring to the manner of Lawry’s dumping, the line that would define his time as captain of the Australian cricket team:

 

‘The bastards will never get me like that.’

 

That afternoon, the Adelaide Advertiser team was at Chappell’s home, snapping the new skipper with his young daughter, Amanda. The next day’s front-page lede was written; Ian Chappell was now the 34th captain of Australia. As the news sunk in, Chappell reflected on Lawry’s dumping as captain. It seemed a fair decision, though he still considered Lawry a Test-class batsman. It was the way the selectors handled the matter, without even telling Lawry (he’d sat for most of the previous day’s play with selector Sam Loxton) that rankled with Chappell.

 

Ian Chappell had a few things to consider. One was the side’s lack of experience. His front-line bowlers – Dennis Lillee, Terry Jenner and Kerry O’Keeffe – had played one Test. Left-arm paceman Tony Dell and opening batsman Ken Eastwood were about to debut, Greg Chappell and Rodney Marsh had just started their Test careers. He also took stock of the captains he had played under. He wanted to be aggressive like Les Favell but avoid his habit of yelling at teammates if things went wrong. He might set a defensive field like Bill Lawry to suffocate a batsman, but take more risks to win. Ian Chappell resembled his grandfather, former Test captain and South Australian sporting great Vic Richardson, in many ways. ‘If you can’t be a good cricketer, at least look like one,’ was his maternal grandfather’s advice.

 

Chappell always looked immaculate in cricket whites – spick and span – and displayed a batting technique honed at 4 Leak Avenue, Graymore, an Adelaide suburb home to many young families after the Second World War. Ian’s father Martin, a state baseballer who was a good enough batsman to lead the A grade district aggregate in 1950/51, was a stern taskmaster. He started his young sons playing with a cricket ball in the 24-metre-wide backyard, allowing for a full-length turf pitch made from clay soil used on the Adelaide Oval wickets. The house was on the off side, with glass louvres on the back porch, so many windows were broken until Martin installed wire mesh gates to protect the glass. It was Lynn Fuller, as coach, who offered an eight-year-old Ian Chappell the best advice: ‘Son, it doesn’t matter how good a coach I am, I can’t help you in the middle, so the quicker you learn the game for yourself the better off you’ll be.’

 

At 13, Ian Chappell was playing senior cricket at Prince Alfred College, the alma mater of Australian greats Joe Darling and Clem Hill. In 1963/64, aged 19, a blazing 149 for South Australia against a New South Wales attack featuring Alan Davidson, Richie Benaud and Johnny Martin had the scribes singing Chappell’s praises. Australian honours arrived against the visiting Pakistan side in 1964. While missing the West Indies tour in 1965, he was restored to the national side at the end of the 1965/66 Ashes series (before playing 36 consecutive Test matches across four continents leading into the 1972 Ashes tour). He was promoted to bat at number three by Lawry for the home series against the West Indies in 1968/69. Sir Donald Bradman had told him, ‘You can make the game from there.’ He would in more ways than one.

 

 

Purchase details for Barry’s book can be obtained by contacting Barry at his email –   [email protected]  or from his publisher.

You can read more from Barry Nicholls Here

 

 

To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au  home page click HERE

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help keep things ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

 

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE