Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins responds to reports former legend Greg Chappell is in financial difficulty
Australia’s current captain Pat Cummins has labelled Greg Chappell a ‘legend of the game’ as the former skipper and coach reveals he has fallen on tough financial times.
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Pat Cummins has lauded Greg Chappell for his impact on much of the current Australian team after the cricket great revealed he had fallen on tough financial times at the age of 75.
Fundraising efforts for the former Australian captain have ramped up in recent weeks, with Chappell explaining this week that a major business setback, the specifics of which he is unwilling to publicly disclose, led to some of his close friends organising a benefit lunch at the MCG among several measures to secure money for one of the sport’s icons.
While Chappell’s legacy was forged through his exploits as one of Australia’s greatest batters, his imprint on the game has continued for much of the almost four decades since his retirement.
As an administrator, coach, selector and commentator, Chappell has continued to shape the sport.
His tentacles have extended to the modern-day Australian side, given he was a senior coach within the Australian pathways system and national selector until 2019.
While Cummins said on Friday that he had limited awareness of Chappell’s exact situation, he sent his best wishes to the ex-skipper, who also coached India and South Australia.
“I heard one of the boys talking about that the other day,” Cummins said ahead of Australia’s World Cup match agains New Zealand.
“He is a legend of the game. Not only just as a player, he’s been huge. Yeah, particularly our playing group, he’s had a big influence on a lot of us coming through, did the under-19s tour where he was there, he did a lot of mentoring and spent a lot of time up at the NCC (National Cricket Centre) where he was involved. Got huge admiration for him, obviously, huge figure in Australian cricket, so wish him all the best.”
As part of the fundraising push for Chappell, a Go Fund Me Page was established, while Eddie McGuire hosted the MCG function attended by cricket luminaries including his brothers Ian and Trevor.
Originally published as Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins responds to reports former legend Greg Chappell is in financial difficulty