Harsh Thakor
First Class Star
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2012
- Runs
- 3,521
- Post of the Week
- 2
After Don Bradman Greg Chappell was the most complete of All Australian batsmen.No Australian after the Don posessed every component that comprised the perfect batsmen as much as Greg Chappell.Gregs batting blended the elegance of a ballad dancer with the technical skill of a surgeon,the inventiveness of a musical composer and the power of a bulldozer.Few batsmen ever blended cricketing art and grammar so proportionately.Overall he was more complete than Viv Richards or Sunil Gavaskar and a greater candidate for the 'perfect'batsmen.Greg blended the attacking agression of Viv Richards with the technical perfection of Sunil Gavaskar.From the bouncy West Indian or Australian tracks,the seaming green English tops to the turning sub-continent pitches Greg Chappell was equally at home.Arguably Greg compared as much with Bradman as Viv Richards and Gavaskar.In the history of the game arguably only Bradman,Hobbs and Tendulkar were more complete than Greg.
Greg’s batting had a characteristic English style which had elegance personified in total contrast to brother Ian who had a characteristic ruggedness and arrogance about his batting.One feature of his career was their back to back centuries at Wellington when Ian and Greg became the first brother combination to score 2centuries apiece in a test match.(Greg scored 247not out and 133 not out while Ian scored 145 and 121)Often it was Ian who inspired Greg.It was a sight to behold watching the two brothers batting at the crease who were temperamentally so different.
Stylistically Greg averaged 53.86 scoring 7110 runs in 151 innings in 87 tests.I rate him 2 nd best amongst Australian batsman behind only Bradman as though Ian Chappell was better in acrisis or on bad wickets or similarly Allan Border was more prolific they could not dominate an attack like Greg Chappell or win as many matches.14 out of his 24 centuries in test matches were match-winning affairs and Greg had a phenomenal average of 70 in test matches won by Australia.(better than Viv Richards,Tendulakr or Lara in modern times .)Ricky Ponting or Matthew Hayden may match Greg Chappell’s ability to dominate or been greater match-winners staistically but to me have not faced the same calibre of bolwing and had the advantage of playing for a champion team.Greg Chappel has faced the greatest bolwers of any era.(Andy Roberts,Imran Khan Etc).)Greg Chappells scores in Packer CRicket in the 1977-79 period and in the 1972 Rest of the World versus Australia series in Australia have been excluded from the record books .Otherwise he would have a higher ranking amongst the all -time great batsman..In Packer Cricket he averaged 56.14 with the highest aggregate of 1416 runs (better than Viv Richards)against the likes of Andy Roberts,Holding and Imran Khan including a .classic 246 not out verus Rest of the World and 174 versus West Indies.He tore the bowling like a sword piercing flesh when scoring 246 not out ,(which won the match against aChampion team)reminding one of a bomber destroying an enemy base. Against rest of the World at home in 1972.he averaged over 100 including scores of 115 and 197 not out .Greg’s best Innings was possibly his 131 at Lords i 1972 against England when his style and composure reminded one of the great batsman of the Golden age,mastering the moving ball..He scored prolifically against the Calypso paceman like in his debut series as skipper (when he scored a record for adebut series as skipper) scoring 702 runs at 117 including a classic 182 not out at Sydney.He also scored 621 runs at a 69 run average in the Packer Series in the West Indies,including 3 centuries.Statistically this was the best batting performance against the great Caribbean pace attack ever.Greg also showed he was a master on the sub-continent with a classical 235 at Faisalabad against Pakistan in 1980.Sadly we never saw Greg on the turning tracks of India.
Technically Greg was the best Australian batsman after Sir Don.Greg had a unique composure with an impregnable defence.In the post-war era there has not been a more correct Australian batsman.He had extraordinary judgement whether he should defend with a perfectly straight bat ar launch a blistering attack,including majestic drives,cuts and flicks on either side of the wicket.In the Arc region he batted like a surgeon performing an a operation and he was the best ever player of the flicked drive through mid wicket..When in full flow he was reminiscent of an emperor dicating his knights but scored his runs with the precision of asurgeon performing an operation.He was a perfect model for a schoolboy batsman.Few batsman ever have combined such technical correctness with the ability to destroy bowilng.In Greg’s only weakness was his vulnerability against the bouncing ball which was exposed on fast tracks against the West Indian paceman,particularly in 1979-80 He often top edged bouncers attempting the hook shot and his predominatly Front foot Technique got him into trouble. Most of his centuries against the West Indies came on slower wickets.
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Greg also exhibited great will power after a string of failures against West Indies at home in 1981-82 and he contemplated retirement.However he returned like a Muhammad Ali scoring 176 in New Zealand in 1982and went on to play 3 relatively successful Australian International seasons.(4Centuries against England and Pakistan
Overall statistically he played the great West Indian quicks better than any great batsmen,including Sunil Gavaskar.Remember the major portion of Gavaskar's runs against West Indies came against the weaker attacks and not the powerful quartet.Adding Packer games Greg scored 7 centuries against an atck with both Holding and Roberts .Arguably Gary Sobers was unfair in stating that Greg did not relish the quicker bowlers with his vulnerability to the bouncing ball and placed Gavaskar in a higher notch.In their books on 100 greatest cricketers John Wooodcock places Greg at 44th place with Gavaskar 21 places higher and Border 7 paces ahead,Cristopher Martin Jenkins places Greg at 38th place with Gavaskar 13 places ahead and Barry Richards 12.Only Geoff Armstrong does Greg justice placing him at 24th place just below Gavaskar in his selection.Even E.S.P.N.top 25 placed Greg at 18th place just behind Headley and Graeme Pollock.Adding Packer stats and scores v Rest of the World Greg Chappell was statistically the best batsmen of the 1970's.Greg may rank below Bradman,Lara,Tendulkar,Viv Richards,Gavaskar,Hutton,Hammond in the eyes of many experts but there are still those like Jeff Thomson who rate him as the best batsmen of his era.In my book Greg with his great aggregate may just edge the likes of Everton Weekes,George Headley ,Denis Compton etc If he had played in the era of Lara ,Ponting and Tendulkar I would have backed Greg do statistically give all of those stalwarts a run for their money.
Greg’s batting had a characteristic English style which had elegance personified in total contrast to brother Ian who had a characteristic ruggedness and arrogance about his batting.One feature of his career was their back to back centuries at Wellington when Ian and Greg became the first brother combination to score 2centuries apiece in a test match.(Greg scored 247not out and 133 not out while Ian scored 145 and 121)Often it was Ian who inspired Greg.It was a sight to behold watching the two brothers batting at the crease who were temperamentally so different.
Stylistically Greg averaged 53.86 scoring 7110 runs in 151 innings in 87 tests.I rate him 2 nd best amongst Australian batsman behind only Bradman as though Ian Chappell was better in acrisis or on bad wickets or similarly Allan Border was more prolific they could not dominate an attack like Greg Chappell or win as many matches.14 out of his 24 centuries in test matches were match-winning affairs and Greg had a phenomenal average of 70 in test matches won by Australia.(better than Viv Richards,Tendulakr or Lara in modern times .)Ricky Ponting or Matthew Hayden may match Greg Chappell’s ability to dominate or been greater match-winners staistically but to me have not faced the same calibre of bolwing and had the advantage of playing for a champion team.Greg Chappel has faced the greatest bolwers of any era.(Andy Roberts,Imran Khan Etc).)Greg Chappells scores in Packer CRicket in the 1977-79 period and in the 1972 Rest of the World versus Australia series in Australia have been excluded from the record books .Otherwise he would have a higher ranking amongst the all -time great batsman..In Packer Cricket he averaged 56.14 with the highest aggregate of 1416 runs (better than Viv Richards)against the likes of Andy Roberts,Holding and Imran Khan including a .classic 246 not out verus Rest of the World and 174 versus West Indies.He tore the bowling like a sword piercing flesh when scoring 246 not out ,(which won the match against aChampion team)reminding one of a bomber destroying an enemy base. Against rest of the World at home in 1972.he averaged over 100 including scores of 115 and 197 not out .Greg’s best Innings was possibly his 131 at Lords i 1972 against England when his style and composure reminded one of the great batsman of the Golden age,mastering the moving ball..He scored prolifically against the Calypso paceman like in his debut series as skipper (when he scored a record for adebut series as skipper) scoring 702 runs at 117 including a classic 182 not out at Sydney.He also scored 621 runs at a 69 run average in the Packer Series in the West Indies,including 3 centuries.Statistically this was the best batting performance against the great Caribbean pace attack ever.Greg also showed he was a master on the sub-continent with a classical 235 at Faisalabad against Pakistan in 1980.Sadly we never saw Greg on the turning tracks of India.
Technically Greg was the best Australian batsman after Sir Don.Greg had a unique composure with an impregnable defence.In the post-war era there has not been a more correct Australian batsman.He had extraordinary judgement whether he should defend with a perfectly straight bat ar launch a blistering attack,including majestic drives,cuts and flicks on either side of the wicket.In the Arc region he batted like a surgeon performing an a operation and he was the best ever player of the flicked drive through mid wicket..When in full flow he was reminiscent of an emperor dicating his knights but scored his runs with the precision of asurgeon performing an operation.He was a perfect model for a schoolboy batsman.Few batsman ever have combined such technical correctness with the ability to destroy bowilng.In Greg’s only weakness was his vulnerability against the bouncing ball which was exposed on fast tracks against the West Indian paceman,particularly in 1979-80 He often top edged bouncers attempting the hook shot and his predominatly Front foot Technique got him into trouble. Most of his centuries against the West Indies came on slower wickets.
.
Greg also exhibited great will power after a string of failures against West Indies at home in 1981-82 and he contemplated retirement.However he returned like a Muhammad Ali scoring 176 in New Zealand in 1982and went on to play 3 relatively successful Australian International seasons.(4Centuries against England and Pakistan
Overall statistically he played the great West Indian quicks better than any great batsmen,including Sunil Gavaskar.Remember the major portion of Gavaskar's runs against West Indies came against the weaker attacks and not the powerful quartet.Adding Packer games Greg scored 7 centuries against an atck with both Holding and Roberts .Arguably Gary Sobers was unfair in stating that Greg did not relish the quicker bowlers with his vulnerability to the bouncing ball and placed Gavaskar in a higher notch.In their books on 100 greatest cricketers John Wooodcock places Greg at 44th place with Gavaskar 21 places higher and Border 7 paces ahead,Cristopher Martin Jenkins places Greg at 38th place with Gavaskar 13 places ahead and Barry Richards 12.Only Geoff Armstrong does Greg justice placing him at 24th place just below Gavaskar in his selection.Even E.S.P.N.top 25 placed Greg at 18th place just behind Headley and Graeme Pollock.Adding Packer stats and scores v Rest of the World Greg Chappell was statistically the best batsmen of the 1970's.Greg may rank below Bradman,Lara,Tendulkar,Viv Richards,Gavaskar,Hutton,Hammond in the eyes of many experts but there are still those like Jeff Thomson who rate him as the best batsmen of his era.In my book Greg with his great aggregate may just edge the likes of Everton Weekes,George Headley ,Denis Compton etc If he had played in the era of Lara ,Ponting and Tendulkar I would have backed Greg do statistically give all of those stalwarts a run for their money.
