Imran was way ahead of Steve as player and captain, says Chappell

[safehands46]

mran was way ahead of Steve as player and captain, says Chappell
Web posted at: 7/3/2006 9:33:45
Source ::: The Peninsula
Ian Chappell (right) of Australia, in company of compatriot Richie Benaud (centre) and Sunil Gavaskar of India, in this file photo taken in Delhi.

Doha • There are a lot of similarities between Imran Khan of Pakistan and Steve Waugh of Australia, both former cricketing greats. The two guided their teams to World Cup glory on the basis of their personal performances and saw their teams given respect by cricket pundits the world over. And, of course, both are known for their charity work, even after retiring from the game.

However, Imran, Pakistan’s World Cup winning captain in 1992, was a better tactician and leader compared to Australia’s Steve, who guided his team to World Cup victory in 1999 before ending his career two years ago with a record number of 168 Test matches.

This was said by Ian Chappell – the former Australian Test captain – when asked to compare the two great names in cricket.

“I have tremendous respect for Imran as a player and leader. He captained Pakistan at a very difficult time but produced a lot of good results with his personal efforts. He beat West Indies when they were at their best in the 80s. No other team or captain could do that, but Imran did that. He said ‘I want to beat the West Indies’ and he did that,” Chappell pointed out.

“I think, statistically Steve Waugh looked a better player, but Imran was way ahead of him as someone who understood the game well and led by example. He (Imran) got positive results with an unknown bunch of players. He could inspire his players better. It was because of him that Pakistan became a force in world cricket in the 80s.

“Steve did well too but I would not even rate him as the best Australian captain. My list of three best Australian Test captains would be: Mark Taylor, Allan Border and Steve. I am not putting Ponting in this list because he is far from finished with his career,” Chappell said.

[cavin420]

for once in his life, chappell, is spot on

[entralinks]

Cavin are you in your senses, for me in cricket Ian Chappell has always been the best whenever he opens his mouth. I would sit and listen to him all day.

[Kamranz]

Ian Chappell is completly opposite of his brother Greg chapppell.

[Tariq Jamshed]

This is hardly anything new. Steve Waugh isn't recognized as one of the greatest Aussie captains by most people and rightly so.

I am bewilderd by the following:
--------
My list of three best Australian Test captains would be: Mark Taylor, Allan Border and Steve.
--------

Surely Aus played cricket before the 1980s as well?

As for comparing Imran and Steve as players, can't compare - different categories.

[safehands46]

Ian Chappell is completly opposite of his brother Greg chapppell.

No its just ian has charisma like imran.

[cavin420]

Cavin are you in your senses, for me in cricket Ian Chappell has always been the best whenever he opens his mouth. I would sit and listen to him all day.
IAn chappell = indian coach right ?

the one with the mustache on his face makes much more sense.

[Tariq Jamshed]

No its just ian has charisma like imran.

He is intelligent and speaks well, but I wouldn't have thought Ian has much charisma

[entralinks]

IAn chappell = indian coach right ?

the one with the mustache on his face makes much more sense.Told ya, you're not in your senses. :D

[PlanetPakistan]

I am bewilderd by the following:
--------
My list of three best Australian Test captains would be: Mark Taylor, Allan Border and Steve.
--------


He must have been talking about captains who played post 1964(chappell's test debut).

[safehands46]

He must have been talking about captains who played post 1964(chappell's test debut).

the truth is he is one of the best in australian history. Bradman and benuad probably would have got a lot of credit but those teams were sublime. Him then probably taylor,border and then waugh.

[waqar_ahmad]

IAn chappell = indian coach right ?

the one with the mustache on his face makes much more sense.

cav man, Ian chappell is opposite to his bro. he talks sense and is a big fan of pakistani style of cricket coz of the flamboyance and aggression. a very intelligent guy

[cavin420]

cav man, Ian chappell is opposite to his bro. he talks sense and is a big fan of pakistani style of cricket coz of the flamboyance and aggression. a very intelligent guy
oh yes, that mustache guy , big big huge fan of his :D

on the srilankan tour, he explained the reason's why inzi was having back problem's and they were all spot on.

[Momo]

Yes, Ian Chappel is a pretty sensible chap.
I have never heard him talking nonsense.
He is not coparing the two as batsmen or bowlers (and if he did, it would have been a little nonsense) but only as captains and players who can motivate the team by their performance. That is a fair comparison and in those ways, Imran is better simply because he built a team from scratch whereas Steve took over from Taylor a team that was already pretty much in shape!
Did you people know that Imran after his rehabilitation from the stress fracture in mid 80s played for New South Wales for a while. He was a room-mate of guess who, Steve Waugh. Waugh says he was never as much in awe of any other person as he was of Imran. He says, Imran was the prince and would never do things like picking up the phone etc. These duties were for Steve alone. And he adds that he couldnt even once conjure up courage to talk to Imran casually.

[Farhad]

Didn't know that Steve Waugh was Imran's room-mate when Khan played Shield cricket for NSW, but can well understand what the Aussie is talking about. Even Lamb wrote in his Autobiography that, "If someone thinks they have become close and chummy to Imran on the field, they are fooling themselves."

Imran - the greatest ever cricketer from Sub-Continent. What a complete and awesome player / skipper!

[Uzzy]

Makes you proud to be a Pakistani doesn't it :)

[Fessal]

Imran - the greatest ever cricketer from Sub-Continent. What a complete and awesome player / skipper!

Definitley agree bhai. Imran is miles miles the best player from Asia and one of the greatest of all time. No other Asian player comes even close to King Khan. :)

BTW good to see you on PP again Farhad bhai. Hope you are doing well.

[hassan_21]

Cavin are you in your senses, for me in cricket Ian Chappell has always been the best whenever he opens his mouth. I would sit and listen to him all day.

Ian Chappell mostly makes sense, but I would think twice about giving him the vote of confidence that you seem to be. Not only because he is an Aussie but also considernig his more recent record.

We need to be weary of Aussie cricketers in general. Their remarks, both on the field and off, generally make sense. If you read Warne's columns you will find yourself agreeing with him most of the time. If you listen to Ponting he creates an excellent rapport with the umpires and match referees. This is exactly what lets them get away with murder when needed. Similarly, their ex-cricketers will sound sensible when talking about the past or things that dont directly concern their team, giving them more leeway when talking about current competitors or rather trashing them.

[KB]

Imran - the greatest ever cricketer from Sub-Continent.

I think what separated Imran from other Asian giants - such as Wasim, Tendulkar and Murali - was the extent of influence he had on the direction of his nation’s cricket.

Under his captaincy Pakistan became tougher, more positive, and more aggressive, to the extent where they could compete with the one of the all time great teams in the 80s away from home.

[Easa]

Ian Chappel always makes sense and his articles are brilliant, as well.

[Easa]

I think what separated Imran from other Asian giants - such as Wasim, Tendulkar and Murali - was the extent of influence he had on the direction of his nation’s cricket.

Under his captaincy Pakistan became tougher, more positive, and more aggressive, to the extent where they could compete with the one of the all time great teams in the 80s away from home.

So, ggm, you rate Tendulkar?

[KB]

Tendulkar has certainly been a great batsman

[Easa]

Tendulkar has certainly been a great batsman

Should he still be in the current Indian side?

[Farhad]

Yah, Tendulkar has been great - but sadly mere shadow though in the recent past of his former self.

Dravid, on the other hand, with a higher average and more prized wicket, certainly has staked a mighty claim to be the greatest Indian player ever, competing head on with Gavaskar.

[Farhad]

Should he still be in the current Indian side?

Why not? Shoaib, Udal, Asif, Afridi etc. would all love to bowl at him again in the golden blazing form that he has been in for the last couple of years! :)))

[KB]

His best years are behind him, and he does not need to produce more runs than he has done recently, but at this stage I would say Tendulkar still has a place in the side when fully fit.

[sehsan]

Why not? Shoaib, Udal, Asif, Afridi etc. would all love to bowl at him again in the golden blazing form that he has been in for the last couple of years! :)))

Farhad bahi, tendulkar ka peecha choro, ask irshad to take some wickets yarr

[Easa]

Farhad bahi, tendulkar ka peecha choro, ask irshad to take some wickets yarr

What does that have to do with Tendulkar? :20:

[Farhad]

I think what separated Imran from other Asian giants - such as Wasim, Tendulkar and Murali - was the extent of influence he had on the direction of his nation’s cricket.

Under his captaincy Pakistan became tougher, more positive, and more aggressive, to the extent where they could compete with the one of the all time great teams in the 80s away from home.

That's a good point, but Imran is a colossus - an unmatchable giant amongst cricketers to have emerged from Sub-continent. The gulf between his contributions and efforts with the next best is yawning.

Kapil being a very good all-rounder could have come near regarding changing his country's fortunes, but he simply did not have the strategic flair of leadership or the ability to change his batting gameplan according to match situations - also bowling at medium-fast didn't help either. In Imran's case, the deadly combination of fearsome potent leadership skills and match-winning genuine fast bowling sealed it, what to say of his excellent batting from '81 onwards!

They talk in India quite a bit about Ganguly's leadership, but it is in all fairness, second-rate in comparison. You have to lead from the front, and perform against the very best, and his latching on to captaincy even when he was a nervous batsman does not stand him in good stead either.

Tendulkar is one-dimensional player too who could not handle the rigors of leading the team - the most important area where one can change their country's fortunes. His batting did inspire but could not quite gave the edge needed to drive India up amongst the best two in the world.

Dravid being a more responsible and grittier batsman and thinking skipper can hold sway here amongst the Indian players of all-time. Time will tell.

[sehsan]

What does that have to do with Tendulkar? :20:

nothing, i want to put farhad bahi attention about irshad SO he can tell us about him little more. Samjay? :)

[Easa]

That's a good point, but Imran is a colossus - an unmatchable giant amongst cricketers to have emerged from Sub-continent. The gulf between his contributions and efforts with the next best is yawning.

Kapil being a very good all-rounder could have come near regarding changing his country's fortunes, but he simply did not have the strategic flair of leadership or the ability to change his batting gameplan according to match situations - also bowling at medium-fast didn't help either. In Imran's case, the deadly combination of fearsome potent leadership skills and match-winning genuine fast bowling sealed it, what to say of his excellent batting from '81 onwards!

They talk in India quite a bit about Ganguly's leadership, but it is in all fairness, second-rate in comparison. You have to lead from the front, and perform against the very best, and his latching on to captaincy even when he was a nervous batsman does not stand him in good stead either.

Tendulkar is one-dimensional player too who could not handle the rigors of leading the team - the most important area where one can change their country's fortunes. His batting did inspire but could not quite gave the edge needed to drive India up amongst the best two in the world.

Dravid being a more responsible and grittier batsman and thinking skipper can hold sway here amongst the Indian players of all-time. Time will tell.

Post of the week, imo. Agree especially on the part about Ganguly. He could have been one of the best skipper's if he had more talent as a batsman. His leadership qualities are impressive - but his batting has completely dipped from 2003 onwards.

[safehands46]

Post of the week, imo. Agree especially on the part about Ganguly. He could have been one of the best skipper's if he had more talent as a batsman. His leadership qualities are impressive - but his batting has completely dipped from 2003 onwards.

One must also remember one must have some luck as captain. Gavaskar was given the captaincy a little to early, he has some bad luck losing to a really good pakistan side. Gavakar was extremely astute cricketer. but he ran into imran in his prime.

Same thing with tendulkar, I believe had he been given the captaincy later on he would have been far better. Look at the bowling and batting side tendulkar had. It was far less talented then gangulies. Thats why we see inzi having more wins.

We see the same case with wasim akram. His first couple trys should that he was a little immature for the role. Wasim akram ended up becoming a solid cricket captain.

Kapil Dev, was extremely lucky when winning the world cup. After that dev found the same problem as many other indian cricket captains, there wasnt enough fire power to win.

As regard to ian chappell as captain, he was like an imran who led with charisma and in front. though his stats dont show it he scored when it mattered most. That is what made people like imran idolize him. He was probably one of the most elegant batsmen of his generation. He single handedly led a weak aussie team in the packers tourneys. He motivated them to fight. Thats where imran met and hung out with these fellows.

Greg chappell another decent captain, but wasnt as charismatic he was like the mark waugh of the brothers. He was great batsmen but not the most inspiring of leaders. Probably had he been given the captaincy at the right time we would have heard more of him.

People also must understand the way he coaches is the way alot of australians captain, It a no nonsense approach. Imran Ian all had that we lead from front if you cant hold your end you get the axe.

[Easa]

As regard to ian chappell as captain, he was like an imran who led with charisma and in front. though his stats dont show it he scored when it mattered most. That is what made people like imran idolize him. He was probably one of the most elegant batsmen of his generation. He single handedly led a weak aussie team in the packers tourneys. He motivated them to fight. Thats where imran met and hung out with these fellows.


Agree. He scored when it mattered, his average at his favorite number three position was 50+.

[Officer Barbrady]

Chappell has never really been a fan of Steve. A comparison with Taylor would have been more interesting.

[Rickz]

That's a good point, but Imran is a colossus - an unmatchable giant amongst cricketers to have emerged from Sub-continent. The gulf between his contributions and efforts with the next best is yawning.

Kapil being a very good all-rounder could have come near regarding changing his country's fortunes, but he simply did not have the strategic flair of leadership or the ability to change his batting gameplan according to match situations - also bowling at medium-fast didn't help either. In Imran's case, the deadly combination of fearsome potent leadership skills and match-winning genuine fast bowling sealed it, what to say of his excellent batting from '81 onwards!

They talk in India quite a bit about Ganguly's leadership, but it is in all fairness, second-rate in comparison. You have to lead from the front, and perform against the very best, and his latching on to captaincy even when he was a nervous batsman does not stand him in good stead either.

Tendulkar is one-dimensional player too who could not handle the rigors of leading the team - the most important area where one can change their country's fortunes. His batting did inspire but could not quite gave the edge needed to drive India up amongst the best two in the world.

Dravid being a more responsible and grittier batsman and thinking skipper can hold sway here amongst the Indian players of all-time. Time will tell.

He was skipper when at the time India was really a poor side, terrible overseas, Sachin did inspire and turned Indias fortunes with his batting, but not as skipper, he did win games by himself for India.

Tendulkar should have been given the captaincy in his later years, he captained a poor batting, bowling and very poor feilding side, not really a talented side.

[Farhad]

Steve inherited a well-knit unit built under Mark Taylor / Border regime. The fall in standards comparatively over the world contributed to the gulf increasing between the Aussies and the rest of the cricket-playing nations. Also he had the services of two of the world's greatest-ever bowlers at his disposal.

There is though a similarity in Ian Chappell and Steve Waugh's brand of leadership although the former was more aggressive and far more astute. Chappell is the pioneer of "sledging" - a term which came to the fore in early 70s. Waugh mastered it he could be seen fielding at silly-point engaging and disturbing the batsmen through taunts and jibes. Imran though was all-aggression, strategy-formulation and application oriented.

[Fish]

One must also remember one must have some luck as captain. Gavaskar was given the captaincy a little to early, he has some bad luck losing to a really good pakistan side. Gavakar was extremely astute cricketer. but he ran into imran in his prime.

Same thing with tendulkar, I believe had he been given the captaincy later on he would have been far better. Look at the bowling and batting side tendulkar had. It was far less talented then gangulies. Thats why we see inzi having more wins.

We see the same case with wasim akram. His first couple trys should that he was a little immature for the role. Wasim akram ended up becoming a solid cricket captain.

Kapil Dev, was extremely lucky when winning the world cup. After that dev found the same problem as many other indian cricket captains, there wasnt enough fire power to win.

As regard to ian chappell as captain, he was like an imran who led with charisma and in front. though his stats dont show it he scored when it mattered most. That is what made people like imran idolize him. He was probably one of the most elegant batsmen of his generation. He single handedly led a weak aussie team in the packers tourneys. He motivated them to fight. Thats where imran met and hung out with these fellows.

Greg chappell another decent captain, but wasnt as charismatic he was like the mark waugh of the brothers. He was great batsmen but not the most inspiring of leaders. Probably had he been given the captaincy at the right time we would have heard more of him.

People also must understand the way he coaches is the way alot of australians captain, It a no nonsense approach. Imran Ian all had that we lead from front if you cant hold your end you get the axe.

Ian Chappel had Lillee, Marsh, G Chappel, Walters, Thompson, Massie and Mallet in his team which is by no means a weak team.

[safehands46]

Ian Chappel had Lillee, Marsh, G Chappel, Walters, Thompson, Massie and Mallet in his team which is by no means a weak team.

I comparison the teams were better then too. Look at paks team one of the best batting sides in history. Windies no need to comment. England had pretty decent side as well. New Zealand then was far better. India again the spinning quartet and so on. Its clear teams were better so stigmas were made.


Chappell was remembered during the packers era he inspired a pretty horrible aussie side to some commendable performances against tough teams like world eleven and windies. Chappell was an attacking and astute captain thats why he was remembered he was fighting player as well. Charisma with which he carried him seperated himself. Possibly also the fact he never lost a series probably added to his adeptness as a captain. He was fighter he wanted one thing and that was perfection.

Thats why imran idolized, I recall one time sitting with him for some fund raiser before it began. He was in california when the famous 334 innings came about. How was mark taylor in comparison to say a chappell. Imran responded chappell was ruthless he wanted one thing and that was to win. He talked about how alot of chappells lead from the front mentality came from him.

Thats why youll notice the aussies saying alot of positive things about imran in general. They have this culture of winning. The lillees,chappells,the hadlees, benuads, richards, the boycotts the list goes on all these players had this instinct of winning. They all have this mutual respect for imran because imran was that sort of ruthless cricketer. Who even when nothing was happening he would fight, he would ball the bouncer or play a dogged 20 or 30.

[ehjaz]

The level of Imran Khan's commitment was un-matchable, at least in Pak lot. Though Javed Miandad had a very good cricketing sense, and Imran would always consult him, but Imran belonged to a different league. I remember some cricketer telling me that Imran would be up early in the morning (way before the match would start) and'd do exercise and put a wicket in the ground and practice bowling. Then his level of exercise was way up. He also carried good discipline. He was a complete package and never was a burden on the team. He worked really hard to earn that reputation and respect. Whatever he strongly believed in he put his actions into it (even now presently he does the same) and bottom line is he produced results (what matter the most). I still remember I met someone in USA long time ago who had played first class cricket from Lahore. He was an opener and a very good batsman; he told me that he had faced Imran Khan in 1980 and Imran was just unplayable..