Greg Chappell AO MBE

Greg played 87 Test matches and captained Australia 48 times. He retired from Test cricket in January 1984 as the highest run-getter in Australian Test history (7,110) surpassing the previous record held by Sir Donald Bradman (6,996). This milestone was achieved in his last Test appearance at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where he also set a new catching record for fieldsmen (122).

At his retirement, Greg also held the record for Australia for the most runs (380) scored in a single Test match. His total of 4 double centuries in Test cricket was second only, behind Sir Donald Bradman, for Australia, and he is the only Australian batsman since the Second World War to have scored a century before lunch in a Test match. He is the only Test captain ever to have achieved that feat.

He is the only Australian to score a century in each innings of a Test match on two occasions and the first Test captain to make a century in each innings of his first Test as captain (recently emulated by Virat Kohli of India). By scoring 182 in his last Test innings Greg became the only Test cricketer in history to score a century in his first and last Test innings.

Greg was honoured by the Queen in 1979 with an MBE for services to cricket, was named Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year in 1979 and was inducted into the Australian Sport Hall of Fame in December 1986. In December 2000 Greg was named in the Australian Test Team of the Century, in February 2002 he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame and in January 2003 was named Australia’s Fourth best cricketer ever behind Sir Donald Bradman, Shane Warne and Keith Miller. Greg was awarded an Australian Centenary Medal in May 2003 and was named in the best Australian One-Day team in March 2007. In January 2021, Greg was appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia (General Division) for “distinguished service to cricket as a leading player, captain, coach, and administrator at the elite level, and to a range of charitable foundations”. In November 2021 Greg was awarded an Honory Doctorate in Cricket by the International committe of the Ecole Superieure Robert de Sorbon in recognition of his lifetime service to the game.

Since his retirement from cricket, Greg has served as a Board member with the Australian Cricket Board and Queensland Cricket and has served as a member of the Australian Cricketers Association Executive. Greg also served as an Australian cricket selector for five years from 1984-89, again in 2010-11 and from 2017-2019. He has also worked as a cricket commentator for Channel Nine, Optus Sports vision, World Tel, ESPN, bSKYb and ABC radio.

Greg Coached South Australia from 1998-2003 and was coach of the Indian National Cricket team from 2005-2007. Following his stint with India, Greg was the Director of Cricket at Rajasthan Cricket until June 2008 when Cricket Australia approached him to become head Coach at the Centre of Excellence. In October 2010 Greg was appointed as Cricket Australia’s National Talent Manager. A role he held until October 2019 when he retired from full time work.

Greg is also a best-selling author and Greg is currently Patron and co-founder of The Chappell Foundation which was set up in 2017 and raises funds to give to those who provide refuge, nourishment and a better future for thousands of homeless youth in Australia. He is Patron of the LBW and has been Patron of the Leukemia Foundation of SA from 2000-2003, Trustee of the Leukaemia Foundation of Qld Capital Appeal from 1982-92 and a founding Board Member of the Leukaemia Foundation of NSW from 1995-96. Greg was also a Board Member of the Royal Brisbane Children’s Hospital Foundation from 1980-92.

Greg is married with three adult children and has four grandchildren. He confines his active sporting interests to golf when he gets the opportunity. He is currently based in Adelaide.