Ashes mania: Botham and Chappell rekindle dead coals (part I)
Men can become difficult. They have fragile egos, and if their ego is bruised in any way they will take the matter to the grave, and probably even hold a grudge there. Such are the duels between men.
They start fighting by giving each other a certain look, followed by a short verbal exchange. If nothing comes of that, they might start hurling insults at each other and even resort to an all-out physical assault.
So when in real life, history’s most formidable and highly skilled warriors - Ian Botham and Ian Chappell - see each other in the Adelaide Oval’s car park, they do not give a curt smile and wave their hand. Instead they decide to pounce on each other. So
who are these men?
Ian Chappell is one of the greatest cricketers in Australia’s illustrious history. He was cool on the outside, yet aggressive and fierce on the inside. Chappell marshaled his men with authority, and gave his side an image of being invincible. That team was
considered a terror on the international cricket circuit. The man affectionately known as
“Chappelli,” was a master at playing mind games in an attempt to intimidate the opposition.
The Aussie great was however under the influence of the South Australian culture. He was notorious for his heavy drinking and mingling with unruly crowds in dimly lit bars by the coast, yet whenever he set his feet on the cricket field he would be completely
focused.
Ian Botham was one of England’s best all-rounders of all-time. He was nicknamed Beefy for his beefed up body, and had a certain amount of valour and grandeur about him. He was multi-talented, and not only mastered the art of bowling, but was also a formidable
batsman who was not afraid to use his feet against the spinners. He wasn’t as aggressive on the inside as he appeared on the surface, which can be gauged from his other hobbies which include poetry, chess, and swimming.
He was a powerful batsman, who had the ability to thrash any bowler on a given day, and change the course of the match. He was great at playing short and fast deliveries, and equally good at delicate shots such as the cut-shot. Just the mere sight of Botham
was enough to rattle opposing teams. However there was a dark side to the man, who was involved in all kinds of notorious antics. Even though many people tried to sabotage his career by bringing to light facts from his private life, he stood tall and defended
himself every step of the way.
So how did the world’s greatest partisans cross paths? The men belonged to two countries which are poles apart. They share similar first names, they fought for something they both loved, and they anchored their teams to celebrated heights. Both the lone
warriors heard about each other, but they had yet to clash.
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