What is Ian Chappell's problem with Steve Waugh?

[Hitman]

I mean Ian never played alongside Steve. So there's no chance of them having conflict from their days together as players.

But Ian has always, always put Steve down in every opportunity that he has got.


Here are some of the things Ian has said a about Steve -

"The thing I couldn’t abide with Steve was that he was such a selfish cricketer,” he said.

“When he came out and said this was to be his last season, so he could have the grand tour and get all the accolades and all of that s**t, he called Damien Martyn through for a ridiculous run at the Gabba. Damien should have just stayed where he was and Steve would have been run out by miles. Disgraceful.

“That’s just a minor example but there are many, many examples.

When, after he (Steve Waugh) had retired, some analysts stated that Waugh was the most influential Australian cricketer since Bradman, Chappell blew his top, saying, “That is nonsense.” He went on to name Richie Benaud, Dennis Lillee, Allan Border and Shane Warne as some of the cricketers who should be ranked far above Waugh.

In 1991-92, when Waugh used to do a lot of bowling, Chappell was in the commentary box with his old pal, Tony Greig, who remarked, “This bloke has to be the best all-rounder in the Southern Hemisphere.” Chappell picked up the microphone and said, “Tony, he’s not even the best all-rounder in his own family.” Chappell always maintained that Mark Waugh was a superior cricketer than his twin.

And when someone told him that he was going to watch Steve Waugh’s last Test, Chappell remarked, “Have you seen him bat before? Why are you bothering? If you’ve seen one Steve Waugh innings, you’ve seen them all.”

Why such hatred for Steve Waugh when Steve Waugh has never even poked Chappell in the eye for any reason?

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

It seems Ian Chappell has problem with everybody in this world.

 

[Rayyman]

That was a clear run and Martyn deserved to be run-out there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPW-fChrnRs

 

[Pete Rose]

I think he doesn't rate Waugh all that much. Waugh, in his first stint with team, was hopeless as a lot of the big boys of cricket were still playing. And when Waugh moulded that invisible team of his: a lot of the other teams were in decline (barring the saffers), and he had a really great team playing for him.
All speculation with my bias added in.

 

[Hasan123]

Don't agree with Steve Waugh being selfish. Don't understand Chappells problem.

 

[Junaids]

Ian Chappell is the best thing to have happened to Aussie cricket in my 47 years on this earth.

Indians shouldn't make the mistake of confusing him with his brother Greg. They are complete opposites.

In fact, the reason in my opinion why he never liked Steve Waugh is because he had all the worst personality features of his brother Greg.

Steve Waugh was a self-centred cricketer who was intense and brooding and would win at all costs, and learned from Allan Border in 1989 in England that you didn't have to enjoy the game or socialise with opposition, just grind them into the dirt. He did not care about bringing through the next generation of players, which is why Darren Lehmann, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn who were all 5-6 years younger saw their international careers put on hold while a fading pair of Waughs played on and on.

Even Mark Waugh doesn't particularly like Steve Waugh. And he's his twin. He hated the way Steve Waugh turned an enjoyable game into a war.

I admire Steve Waugh. But I don't like him, and I echo Ian Chappell's thoughts.

 

[Convict]

Ian though Waugh wasn't macho enough because he got rid of the hook shot and played to win rather than the all out aggressiveness Chappell preferred.

 

[Junaids]

Ian though Waugh wasn't macho enough because he got rid of the hook shot and played to win rather than the all out aggressiveness Chappell preferred.

I think that there's a deeper underlying issue here.

Both Ian Chappell and Steve Waugh are batsmen who made their international debuts several years before their brothers, but who were both much less talented batsmen than their brothers.

But whereas Ian Chappell marked out a career as a leader and as an aggressive batsman, Steve Waugh was a stodgy and negative batsman and skipper. Ian Chappell is still viewed by all his team mates as their skipper - when Gary Gilmour and Terry Jenner and John Gleeson died, it was notable that all three had been contacted by Ian Chappell in their final weeks. Whereas most of Steve Waugh's teammates tend to view Mark Taylor or Ricky Ponting as their skipper, but certainly not Steve Waugh.

So I think that Ian Chappell just views Steve Waugh as a disappointment. And also thinks he scored cheap runs against weakened opposition, but not against the West Indies when they were at their strongest.

 

[Convict]

I think that there's a deeper underlying issue here.

Both Ian Chappell and Steve Waugh are batsmen who made their international debuts several years before their brothers, but who were both much less talented batsmen than their brothers.

But whereas Ian Chappell marked out a career as a leader and as an aggressive batsman, Steve Waugh was a stodgy and negative batsman and skipper. Ian Chappell is still viewed by all his team mates as their skipper - when Gary Gilmour and Terry Jenner and John Gleeson died, it was notable that all three had been contacted by Ian Chappell in their final weeks. Whereas most of Steve Waugh's teammates tend to view Mark Taylor or Ricky Ponting as their skipper, but certainly not Steve Waugh.

So I think that Ian Chappell just views Steve Waugh as a disappointment. And also thinks he scored cheap runs against weakened opposition, but not against the West Indies when they were at their strongest.

Tell that to Langer.

Apart from Shane Warnes petty grudge over not becoming Captain none of the other Australian players complain about it.

And Ian Chappell loved Michael Clarke as a Captain and how many of his players really liked Clarke?

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Tell that to Langer.

Apart from Shane Warnes petty grudge over not becoming Captain none of the other Australian players complain about it.

And Ian Chappell loved Michael Clarke as a Captain and how many of his players really liked Clarke?

I reckon Taylor had the best balance between on-field and off-field captaincy.

 

[Convict]

I reckon Taylor had the best balance between on-field and off-field captaincy.

I barely remember Taylor being Captain but from what I hear he was a very good Captain.

 

[Drreddymd]

I barely remember Taylor being Captain but from what I hear he was a very good Captain.

Taylor is a very very good captain. I rate him higher than waugh as a tactician

 

[Big Mac]

Taylor is a very very good captain. I rate him higher than waugh as a tactician

Yep, Taylor was the best Aussie captain of the last 20-odd years and seemed like a decent bloke as well.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Chapelli likes bullying people. Steve Waugh over the years hasn't really bothered to reply to some of those provocations and i think it motivate Ian to keep going.

I would really enjoy SW getting out of his self imposed exile from cricket and talk boldly about things. Pretty sure he'd be shutting a lot of over running mouths. His test record as captain is one to envy, i think he has like 50 test wins out of 70 as captain and i don't care what you think of Taylor or Ponting but SW is the man who took Aussie cricket to the level where West Indies were in the 80s.

 

[Bewal Express]

I agree with Chappell, Waugh was a selfish cricketer- he scored runs when the team was in trouble, won games that were nearly lost and averaged close to 50.

 

[Tusker]

Ian Chappell is the best thing to have happened to Aussie cricket in my 47 years on this earth.

That answers my question I posed in the other thread --> http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...s-Generation-Imran-Khan&p=9142923#post9142923

There is no way anyone can remember anything from that age ( Under 10 !! ) nearly 40 yrs later.

And since you have grown up in that ERA ... you have a very strong bonding with them. Some of them are probably your boyhood heroes !! And now after they have long stopped playing that is replaced by perhaps extreme nostalgia. Which is why you don't rate any cricket played thereafter very highly. This is why it is very hard for you to let go of all the opinions and views you hold about cricket and cricketers from that ERA despite CLEAR evidence to the contrary.

Much like you Ian Chappell has the same problem except that he played cricket in that ERA. He just cannot accept that he is wrong, nor can he accept that cricket was of lesser standard in his days. Way too stubborn for his own good. And that stature he has acquired makes it only more harder to accept reality.

 

[bludger]

It's purely ego. If you trying to figure out the best or most influential Aussie skipper of the post-Bradman era was, you'd eventually whittle down the list to Ian Chappell and Steve Waugh. And no prizes for guessing who Ian Chappell thinks it is.

 

[wrongun]

It has to do with Ian Chappell's attitude and the era he grew up in. To be regarded as a "good bloke" by Chappell you have to want to sit in a bar and drink beer and listen to him tell stories about cricket back in his day.

Steve Waugh wasn't into that sort of boozy, backslapping scene and apparently (according to Waugh's autobiography) because Waugh declined, as a young player, opportunities to join in with other young players when they drank with Ian, then Ian took a dislike to him as a selfish & snobbish person. Not true, Waugh is just more of an introvert off the field & would rather find out about the real world or be with his wife in his time off- not sit around telling Ian how great he was.

 

[Gilly]

I wish I Chappell would go and live in England, they deserve him more than us. I wouldent mind betting Chappelli has posters of himself on his bedroom wall.

 

[shariqnoor]

Ian Chappell has to be the most bitter person in Australian cricketing circles. He's always moaning about some thing or the other. It was Steve Waugh who ended the dominance of the West Indies when he went and won the 1994/95 series in the West Indies. Just go and look at his performance in that series. He stood up to Ambrose when nobody would. Made that incredible double hundred when the series was tied at 1-1 to win the final test. Steve Waugh has achieved far greater in cricket than Ian Chappell but just because Waugh didn't confine to Chappell's cricketing principles, he's always had a beef with him.

 

[Saqs]

I mean Ian never played alongside Steve. So there's no chance of them having conflict from their days together as players.

But Ian has always, always put Steve down in every opportunity that he has got.


Here are some of the things Ian has said a about Steve -













Why such hatred for Steve Waugh when Steve Waugh has never even poked Chappell in the eye for any reason?

Lol at his comments about the Martyn run-out, when he was the one commentating live on the run-out if I recall, and seemed to be OK with the fact that it was Martyn's fault.

 

[Saqs]

It has to do with Ian Chappell's attitude and the era he grew up in. To be regarded as a "good bloke" by Chappell you have to want to sit in a bar and drink beer and listen to him tell stories about cricket back in his day.

Steve Waugh wasn't into that sort of boozy, backslapping scene and apparently (according to Waugh's autobiography) because Waugh declined, as a young player, opportunities to join in with other young players when they drank with Ian, then Ian took a dislike to him as a selfish & snobbish person. Not true, Waugh is just more of an introvert off the field & would rather find out about the real world or be with his wife in his time off- not sit around telling Ian how great he was.

This.

I remember in the late 90's driving around Bankstown while visiting some family friends, and seeing Steve walk down the road, with his collar up, sunglasses and cap on, head-down - didn't really want to be bothered, and just wanted to get on with it. Even his lack of involvement in cricket since retiring proves that he was never one of the "fraternity" really, but just got on with what he thought was most important.

That, and probably the fact that Steve went toe to toe with two of the greatest that have ever done it (Lara, Sachin) and trumped them over a couple of seasons as the number one batsman in the world. Quite an achievement for someone who was basically an all-rounder, and was constantly told that he wasn't even the most talented batsman in his own family.

 

[princeuk]

Ian Chappell sticks the knife into a lot people, he is just a very bitter arrogant old man, Its almost as if he holds grudges against people, when you sometimes hear him it doesnt sound professional.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

I like the Steve Waugh character in cricket. Mind your business and just play. No media frenzy or stuff like that. Just keep your mouth shut and play to win. I'd rather prefer a guy who keeps his mouth shut and get the results rather than someone who babbles a lot and go in with 4 pacers on a rank turner just for the sake of being "aggressive" that Ian prefers. I read it somewhere and I think it's true "Steve Waugh is the epitome of Australian grit and never say die attitude"

 

[Last Monetarist]

I say this as a huge fan of Ian Chappell, but I reckon there has been this natural trend in Australian cricket that the players who cultivate relationships with Channel 9 commentators get better publicity and receive the long rope when they make mistakes.

As mentioned above, Chappell wasn't the biggest fan of Steve Waugh because of the kind of cricket he played and what he represented, but I think Chappell's antipathy for Steve Waugh was exacerbated because of Shane Warne - as if it could be anyone else - who actively solicited opinions and advice from Benaud and Chappell when he first came up on to the scene.

It's no secret that Warne coveted the captaincy and Chappell was arguably his biggest advocate once Mark Taylor was dropped from the one day team in 1997. It's fair to say that Warne had a sharp cricket mind and a flair for leadership that borrowed a lot of traits from Chappell's in your face, rambunctious, aggressive brand of captaincy.

I guess Chappell saw Warne carrying his legacy and he was affronted to see the dour and unimaginative elder Waugh get the preference because of a mixture of seniority and Warne's tendency to get into trouble off the field. Of course, once Warne was also passed over for the test captaincy and then humiliatingly dropped for the series decider against the West Indies in 1999, that dislike sort of simmered and festered such that both Warne and Chappell can't do a public volte-face and forgive Waugh.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Steve Waugh is my favourite Australian. Respect him as a cricketer and a person. Ian Chappell can hate him to death for all I care.

 

[EliteCynical]

Ian though Waugh wasn't macho enough because he got rid of the hook shot and played to win rather than the all out aggressiveness Chappell preferred.

100% correct. I totally second this. According to Chappell, a complete batsman is one who has all shots in the book and Steve taking out the hook shot, did not please him and I have heard him say this in an interview!

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Didn't like his defensive, stubborn style of captaincy.

 

[EliteCynical]

Tell that to Langer.

Apart from Shane Warnes petty grudge over not becoming Captain none of the other Australian players complain about it.

And Ian Chappell loved Michael Clarke as a Captain and how many of his players really liked Clarke?

I am not sure about Langer. During the 2001 series he made a comment that "If Steve Waugh asks me to run through a brick wall, I'd do that!". Ok, I was impressed.

Later on I can bet I heard him say in an interview - "If Ricky Ponting asks me to run through a brick wall, I'd do that!" - I was like What? I just get a feeling Langer speaks a lot, not sure.

Yes Chappell was a big fan of Clarke and also thought Warne was unlucky to have not been captain of Aus. I guess he found Steve boring and sometimes, his captaincy lacked imagination in his book!

 

[90MPH]

Shane warne hates him even more.

 

[James]

I am a longtime fan of Steve Waugh and it is indeed well known that a number of the big beasts in Australian cricket do not like him.

However what I respect about the Aussies is that despite all of these poor interpersonal relationships we are always hearing about - and most of the stories are probably true - it never seems to affect them out on the field. Despite repeatedly picking FIGJAM players like Warne, Warner, Haydos, Watto and Clarke over the years, the XI goes out on the field and it is typically 100% together as one unit.

Contrast this with how some of the big egos in other sides - KP & England, Gayle & West Indies, Akhtar & Pakistan, various Indian players - have seriously impacted the performance levels of their peers, and it becomes quite impressive.

 

[Pete Rose]

Chappell, Willis, and Boycott in the commentary box would be interesting

 

[giri26]

Very Strange from Chappell. Not sure why he hated Steve Waugh. I always found him as a hard working gritty player. He played many memorable innings for Australia. I do agree though that Mark Waugh was way more talented in Steve Waugh, Mark though was too casual.