IND vs AUS | Greg Chappell pens an open letter to Tim Paine, states abuse is a 'weakness of character'

01/16/2021

Former Aussie great Greg Chappell has written an open letter to Tim Paine slamming him for his abuse to Ashwin, terming it as a 'weakness' of character. He also demanded that the Aussie skipper set better examples and only let the bat and ball do the talking than abuse, which he termed 'cheap'.

The whole manner of how Australian cricket operates on the field changed post the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, with it considered to be one of the worst chapters in Australian cricket. After that Tim Paine, a quintessential gentleman, was appointed as the full-time Test skipper to change the image of Aussie cricket after it was hurt big time and also marked the ouster of David Warner and Steven Smith for a substantial period.

Paine has done a good job leading Australia to win games of cricket whilst being in the limits of decency especially in terms of banter. However, Paine lost it in the SCG Test against India when he first used abusive language at the on-field umpire and later called India's R Ashwin "a dic**ead", which was quite audible to public and drew him a lot of flak. He was fined for showing dissent to the umpire and after the game, had to call an impromptu presser to apologize for his unacceptable behaviour during the Test, which he termed an outlier.

Despite the apology, former Aussie batsman Greg Chappell made it a point to write an open letter to Tim Paine, asserting that abuse at workplace is unacceptable and he should only let his cricketing credentials do the talking.

“Abuse is not acceptable in any workplace and talk, in my opinion, is cheap. It does not show one’s strength. Rather, it displays a weakness of character. I urge you to impress on the team to let the bat and ball do the talking and set better examples to millions of impressionable little boys and girls, lest they start imitating the worst instincts and actions of their sporting heroes," Chappell wrote in Sydney Morning Herald to Paine, reported HT.

The former Indian coach urged Paine to keep leading Australia in the way he has since the Cape Town scandal, which has helped Australian cricket rebuild their image.

“This will be the greatest legacy that you can leave. You have led Australia with flair, courage, and humour and have contributed immensely in rebuilding the image of Australian cricket following the events in Cape Town, three years ago. I urge you to keep leading in the way that you have been, since taking over the captaincy. I would hate one bad day to undo all of the good work that you and your team have done."

He also added that the world shouldn't judge Paine on the basis of one incident and he feels that the Tasmanian gloveman still has a lot of cricket left in his career.

“Your mea culpa and promise to do better after Sydney is a step in the right direction. It shows contrition and a resolve to get things back on track. I have no doubt that you have a year or two of good cricket left in you, and detractors who are piling on right now, should judge you in time, and not on the basis of one mad afternoon," he signed off.

Right now, the Tim Paine-led Australia are taking on India in the fourth and final Test at the Gabba with the series levelled at 1-1.