Interviewer: How would you define the role of captain? Having been such a successful captain you should have a better insight into the job. Would you like to explain?
Ian Chappell: To me, captaincy is two parts. There is captaincy which is on the field, the pinning up of the batting order, the handling of the bowling and the changing of the field, and there is leadership. That is time spent with players off the field. I am not talking about the time spent on cocktails. I am talking of time spent with the players. If the players have a problem, I have to listen to the problem and act upon it. If they have a fight against the board, I had to fight that fight.
Captaincy is not an 11 to 6 job. It is hell of a lot more than that. I think there are a lot of good captains around. Also, I think there are bloody awful leaders around. They cannot lead a backside. I think the amount of time spent with players off the field is what reaps the reward. That to me is the art of leadership, to get the best out of men.
Dennis Lillee: That’s right. The things he is talking about are what made him one of the most successful captains. In fact, the best I have played under. Illy [Ray Illingworth] was one I admired a lot too. You can only judge the captains you have played under and those you have played against. To my mind, Ian and Illy were two great ones.
