Agency :
Ian Chappell, the former Australia captain, announced his decision to retire from commentary after a span of nearly 45 years.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, the 78-year-old said: “I remember the day when I knew I’d had enough of playing cricket,” Chappell said. “I looked at the clock and it was five past 11 on a day of play and I thought, ‘S**t, if you’re clock-watching at that time, I have to go.
“So when it comes to commentary, I’ve been thinking about it. I had a minor stroke a few years back and I got off lucky. But it just makes everything harder. And I just thought with all the travel and, you know, walking upstairs and things like that, it’s all just going to get harder.
“Then I read what Rabbits [legendary rugby league commentator Ray Warren] said with retirement and it really struck home when I read the bit where he said, ‘you’re always one sentence closer to making a mistake.”
Along with Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry, and Tony Greig, Ian Chappell was one of the distinctive voices on Channel Nine.
