SYDNEY, Australia, CMC- Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has taken a swipe at current skipper Steve Smith for seeking a deal with West Indies to trigger a result during the rain ravaged third and final Test which petered out in a tame draw last week.
West Indies skipper Jason Holder rejected Smith’s proposal of an Australian run-chase of 370 from 70 overs on the final day of the Test in which two full days were lost to rain.
Chappell has criticized the tactic saying he did not agree with it although the Australia captain had checked with his coach Darren Lehmann and match officials before approaching Holder.
“I don’t like it when captains get together and start to make deals,” Chappell said. “I’m not sure cricket in general, not just Cricket Australia, would be all that thrilled to hear that the captain is going to another captain and trying to make a deal because in this age of fixing,” said Chappell.
“I would have thought that leaves things open to a lot of problems. I’ve never agreed with it, even before fixing became a pretty important subject, but even more I think it’s important not to do those things now.”
With rain allowing just 68 deliveries on day two and forcing the abandonment of the third and fourth days, the Test was predictably headed for a draw when play finally resumed on Thursday’s final day at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The proposal would have seen West Indies declaring at their overnight 248 for seven, Australia then forfeiting their first innings, allowing the visitors to rattled up 121 off seven overs and then attempting to chase down 370 off 70 overs for victory.
“If you want something to happen a bit out of the ordinary, if you’ve lost time and you want things to happen, I think your actions should show you want to do it,” Chappell said. “The people who paid their money, even though they didn’t on Thursday, they’re entitled to look out and say: ‘well, I’ve paid my money to watch something serious, not hit and giggle’.”
Australia won the three-match test series two-nil.
