Editing Ian Chappell (section)

== International career ==
In 1963–64, Chappell batted at number three for SA for the first time, in a match against [[Queensland Bulls|Queensland]] at [[Brisbane Cricket Ground|Brisbane]], and scored 205 not out.<ref name=Brayshaw>Brayshaw (1984), pp 30–33.</ref> He was the youngest member of the SA team that won the [[Sheffield Shield]] that season.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/137958.html 1963–64 Sheffield Shield winning team reunites.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120707153729/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/137958.html |date=7 July 2012 }} Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 August 2007.</ref> A century against [[Victorian Bushrangers|Victoria]] early the following season resulted in Chappell's selection for a one-off Test against [[Pakistan national cricket team|Pakistan]] at [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|Melbourne]] in December 1964. He made 11 and took four catches,<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/engine/match/62956.html Australia v Pakistan scorecard.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711030129/https://www.wisden.com/ |date=11 July 2024 }} ''Wisden, 1966 edition'' Retrieved 17 August 2007.</ref> but was dropped until the Fourth Test in the [[1965–66 Ashes series]]. Chappell supplemented his aggressive batting with brilliant fielding in the [[Slip (cricket)|slips]], and he showed promise as a [[Leg spin|leg-spinner]].<ref name=SAHOF/> At this point, the selectors and captain [[Bob Simpson (cricketer)|Bob Simpson]] considered him an [[all-rounder]]: he batted at number seven and bowled 26 (eight-ball) overs for the match.<ref name=Brayshaw/>

===Hesitant start===
He retained his place for the following Test and for the tour of South Africa in summer 1966–67. Playing in a side defeated 1–3, Chappell struggled to make an impression. His highest score in ten Test innings was 49, while his five wickets cost 59 runs each.<ref name=Statsguru>[http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=player;playerid=1243;class=testplayer;filter=basic;team=0;opposition=0;notopposition=0;season=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;startdefault=1964-12-04;start=1964-12-04;enddefault=1980-02-06;end=1980-02-06;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;result=0;followon=0;seriesresult=0;captain=0;keeper=0;dnp=0;recent=;viewtype=aro_series;runslow=;runshigh=;batposition=0;dismissal=0;bowposition=0;ballslow=;ballshigh=;bpof=0;overslow=;overshigh=;conclow=;conchigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;dismissalslow=;dismissalshigh=;caughtlow=;caughthigh=;caughttype=0;stumpedlow=;stumpedhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype Cricinfo Statsguru: Ian Chappell.] Retrieved 11 November 2007.</ref> On the advice of Simpson, he ceased playing the hook shot as it was often leading to his dismissal.<ref>Mallett (2005), p 26.</ref> In the first Test of 1967–68 against [[India national cricket team|India]], he failed twice batting in the middle order. Heading into the second Test at Melbourne, Chappell's place was in jeopardy, but he rode his luck to score 151 – his innings contained five chances that the Indians failed to take.<ref name=Brayshaw/> However, in the remainder of the series, he managed only 46 runs in four innings,<ref name="testlist"/> so his selection for the 1968 tour of England was based as much on potential as form.

In England, Chappell rewarded the faith of the selectors by scoring the most first-class runs on the tour (1,261 runs, including 202 not out against [[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire]]), leading the Australian Test aggregates with 348 runs (at 43.50).<ref>Mallett (2005), p 30.</ref> His top score was 81 in the fourth Test at [[Headingley Cricket Ground|Leeds]]. [[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|''Wisden'']] lauded his play off the back foot and judged him the most difficult Australian batsman to dismiss.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150223.html The Australians in England 1968.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120707151622/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150223.html |date=7 July 2012 }} ''Wisden, 1969 edition''. Retrieved 19 August 2007.</ref>

===Promotion to number three===
A string of big scores and a record number of catches during the 1968–69 season earned Chappell the Australian Cricketer of the Year award.<ref>Chappell (1976), p 80.</ref> Against the touring [[West Indies cricket team|West Indies]], Chappell hit 188 not out, 123, 117, 180 and 165 before the New Year. Two of these centuries came in the Test series, when Chappell's average for 548 runs was 68.50.<ref name=Statsguru/> Chappell was elevated to number three in the batting order and became a less-frequent bowler; he was also appointed vice-captain of the team.<ref name=Cashman/>

Following up with a successful tour of India in late 1969, Chappell demonstrated his fluency against spin bowling by compiling Test innings of 138 at [[Feroz Shah Kotla|Delhi]] and 99 at [[Eden Gardens|Kolkata]]. His ability against both fast and slow bowling earned high praise,<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152445.html The Australians in Ceylon and India 1969–70.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120712173341/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152445.html |date=12 July 2012 }} ''Wisden, 1971 edition''. Retrieved 20 August 2007.</ref> including from his captain [[Bill Lawry]]. When the Australians arrived in South Africa in early 1970, following their victory over India, Lawry told the local media that Chappell was the best all-round batsman in the world.<ref name="kings">[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/231051.html When they were kings.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060921170416/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/231051.html |date=21 September 2006 }} Cricinfo: Retrieved 17 August 2007.</ref> His appraisal looked misguided when Chappell managed just 92 runs (at 11.5 average), with a top score of 34, as Australia lost 0–4.<ref name="kings"/>

On this tour, Chappell clashed with cricket administrators over pay and conditions for the first time.<ref name=Brayshaw/> The South African authorities requested that an extra Test be added to the fixture and the [[Cricket Australia|Australian Board of Control]] consented. Incensed that the players were not consulted about the change, Chappell led a group of his teammates in a demand for more money to play the proposed game. Eventually the match was cancelled after Chappell and his supporters refused to back down.<ref>[http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/392514.html Australia's no pay, no play tour.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204012654/http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/392514.html |date=4 February 2012 }} Cricinfo: Retrieved 19 August 2007.</ref>

===Captaincy===
[[File:Ian Chappell 1971.jpg|thumb|upright|Chappell in 1971]]
Chappell became South Australian captain when the long-serving [[Les Favell]] retired at the start of the 1970–1971 season.<ref>Harte (1993), p 531.</ref> His younger brother Greg made his debut in the second Test of the summer against [[English cricket team in Australia in 1970–71|Ray Illingworth's England]]. Facing an English attack led by the hostile fast bowling of [[John Snow (cricketer)|John Snow]], Chappell scored a half-century in each of the first two Tests, but failed to capitalise on good starts while Greg Chappell scored 108 in his initial innings.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150243.html 2nd Test Australia v England, match report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120711094549/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150243.html |date=11 July 2012 }} ''Wisden, 1972 edition''. Retrieved 13 November 2007.</ref> Rain caused the abandonment of the third Test without a ball being bowled. Temporarily promoted to open the batting, Chappell failed in the fourth Test as Australia lost. In the fifth Test at Melbourne, he returned to number three and started nervously. Dropped on 0 and 14, Chappell found form and went on to post his maiden Ashes century (111 from 212 balls),<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150246.html 5th Test Australia v England, match report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009091335/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150246.html |date=9 October 2012 }} ''Wisden, 1972 edition''. Retrieved 17 August 2007.</ref> which he followed with scores of 28 and 104 in the sixth Test.<ref name="testlist"/>

The washed-out Test resulted in a late change to the schedule and an unprecedented seventh Test was played at Sydney in February 1971.<ref>[http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/150241.html The MCC in Australia and New Zealand 1970–71.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102041059/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/150241.html |date=2 November 2015 }} ''Wisden, 1972 edition''. Retrieved 17 August 2007.</ref> Trailing 0–1 in the series, Australia could retain The Ashes by winning this game. Australia's performances were hampered by playing slow, defensive cricket. In a radical attempt to breathe some aggression into the team, the selectors sacked captain Bill Lawry and appointed Chappell in his stead.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/272840.html The end of a Victorian hero.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120710051657/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/272840.html |date=10 July 2012 }} Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 August 2007.</ref> Dismayed by the manner of Lawry's dismissal,<ref name=ABCTV>[http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2002/s720418.htm 7.30 Report (transcript).] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102040951/http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2002/s720418.htm |date=2 November 2007 }} ABC TV. Retrieved 20 August 2007.</ref> Chappell responded with an attacking performance as captain, he won the toss, put England in and dismissed them for 184, and Australia led the first innings by 80 runs, but set 223 to win they folded for 160 and lost [[The Ashes]] after holding them for 12 years. Chappell gained some consolation at the end of a dramatic summer when he led SA to the Sheffield Shield, the team's first win for seven years.<ref>Mallett (2005), p 55.</ref>

Chappell's battles against the short-pitched bowling of Snow during the season compelled him to reappraise his game. Following a conversation with [[Sir Donald Bradman]], he decided to reinstate the hook shot and spent the winter months practising the stroke by hitting baseballs thrown by his brother Greg.<ref>Chappell (1976), pp 74–75.</ref>

===A team in his own image===
{{Blockquote|Ian Chappell fashioned an Australian team in his own image between 1971 and 1975: aggressive, resourceful and insouciant.|[[Gideon Haigh]]<ref name=CricinfoProfile/>}}

Australia lost an unofficial Test series to a [[Rest of the World cricket team in Australia in 1971-72|Rest of the World team]] led by [[Gary Sobers]] that toured in 1971–72 as a replacement for the politically unacceptable South Africans.<ref>Harte (1993), p 532–533.</ref> Chappell was the outstanding batsman of the series, with four centuries included in his 634 runs, at an average of 79.25.<ref>[http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1970S/1971-72/WORLD-XI_IN_AUS/WORLD-XI_IN_AUS_NOV1971-FEB1972_TEST-STATS.html World XI in Australia 1971–72.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101154823/http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1970S/1971-72/WORLD-XI_IN_AUS/WORLD-XI_IN_AUS_NOV1971-FEB1972_TEST-STATS.html |date=1 January 2009 }} Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 November 2007.</ref> He took the team to England in 1972 and was unlucky not to regain The Ashes in a rubber that ended 2–2. The series began disastrously for Chappell when he was out hooking from the first ball he faced in the opening Test at [[Old Trafford Cricket Ground|Manchester]]. He fell the same way in the second innings and Australia lost the match.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152473.html 1st Test England v Australia, match report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120710211347/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152473.html |date=10 July 2012 }} ''Wisden, 1973 edition''. Retrieved 13 November 2007.</ref> However, the team regrouped and had the better of the remaining matches, apart from the fourth Test at Leeds, played on a controversial pitch that the Australians believed was "doctored" to suit the England team.<ref>Mallett (2005), pp 75–76.</ref> Greg Chappell emerged as a prolific batsman during the series, batting one place below his brother in the order. The siblings shared several crucial partnerships,<ref name=CricinfoProfile/> most notably 201 at the Oval in the last Test when they became the first brothers to score centuries in the same Test innings.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152477.html 5th Test England v Australia, match report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120708160712/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152477.html |date=8 July 2012 }} ''Wisden, 1973 edition''. Retrieved 17 August 2007.</ref> Australia won the game, an effort that Chappell later cited as the turning point in the team's performances.<ref>Mallett (2005), p 78.</ref>

In 1972–73, Australia had resounding victories against Pakistan (at home) and the West Indies (away). Chappell's leadership qualities stood out in a number of tight situations. He hit his highest Test score of 196 (from 243 balls) in the first Test against Pakistan at Adelaide. Pakistan "appeared probable winners of the last two Tests on the second last day of each game", yet Chappell's team managed to win on both occasions.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152511.html ''Wisden, 1974 edition'': Pakistan in Australia 1972–73.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120714172141/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152511.html |date=14 July 2012 }} Retrieved 8 October 2007.</ref>

On indifferent pitches in the Caribbean, Chappell was the highest-scoring batsman of the Test series with 542 runs (at 77.4 average).<ref name=Statsguru/> He hit 209 in a tour match against [[Barbados national cricket team|Barbados]], two Test centuries and a "glorious" 97 on a poor pitch at [[Queen's Park Oval|Trinidad]] in the third Test, batting with an injured ankle. This set up a dramatic last day when the West Indies needed just 66 runs to win with six wickets in hand at lunch. The home team collapsed against an inspired Australian bowling attack supported by Chappell's aggressive field-placements.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152522.html ''Wisden, 1974 edition'': 3rd Test West Indies v Australia, match report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120713181855/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152522.html |date=13 July 2012 }} Retrieved 17 August 2007.</ref>

===The ugly Australians===
[[File:Chappelli.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Ian Chappell in the early 1970s]]
Australia played six Tests against [[New Zealand national cricket team|New Zealand]] on both sides of the [[Tasman Sea|Tasman]] in 1973–74. Chappell led his team to a 2–0 victory in the three Tests played in Australia. During the third Test at Adelaide, he equalled the world record of six catches in a Test match by a fielder, which was beaten by his brother Greg the following season.<ref>[http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283561.html Most catches in a match.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113112200/http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283561.html |date=13 November 2007 }} Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 November 2007.</ref> In the drawn first Test at [[Basin Reserve|Wellington]], the Chappells became the first brothers to each score a century in both innings of a Test match. The Australians lost to the Kiwis for the first time ever in the second Test at [[Lancaster Park|Christchurch]], when Chappell was involved in a verbal confrontation with the leading New Zealand batsman, [[Glenn Turner]].<ref>[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/extracover/content/story/142361.html New Zealand's great day of fulfilment.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120707173132/http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/extracover/content/story/142361.html |date=7 July 2012 }} Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 August 2007.</ref> The Australians then played an ill-tempered tour match at [[Carisbrook|Dunedin]] that didn't enhance the reputation of Chappell or his team, before winning the final Test at [[Eden Park|Auckland]].<ref>Chappell (1976), pp 138–142.</ref> On this tour, the behaviour of the team was questioned with some journalists labelling them "ugly Australians".<ref name=MCG/> In 1976, Chappell wrote about his attitude to the opposition:
<blockquote>... although we didn't deliberately set out to be a 'bunch of bastards' when we walked on to the field, I'd much prefer any team I captained to be described like that than as 'a nice bunch of blokes on the field.' As captain of Australia my philosophy was simple: between 11.00am and 6.00pm there was no time to be a nice guy. I believed that on the field players should concentrate on giving their best to the team, to themselves and to winning; in other words, playing hard and fairly within the rules. To my mind, doing all that left no time for being a nice guy.<ref>Chappell (1976), p 33.</ref></blockquote>

The increasing prevalence of verbal confrontation on the field (later known as [[sledging (cricket)|sledging]]) concerned cricket administrators and became a regular topic for the media.<ref>Harte (1993), Chapter 28.</ref> Its instigation is sometimes attributed to Chappell. By his own admission, he was a frequent user of profanity who was often at "boiling point" on the field, but claims that the various incidents he was involved in were not a premeditated tactic. Rather, they were a case of him losing his temper with an opponent.<ref name=Jeez>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/143984.html 'Jeez ... what have we got here?] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130119222700/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/143984.html |date=19 January 2013 }} Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 October 2007.</ref>

===The Ashes regained and the first World Cup===
[[File:Ian Chappell graph.png|right|thumb|upright=1.5|Ian Chappell's Test career batting performance. The red bars indicate the runs that he scored in an innings, with the blue line indicating the [[batting average (cricket)|batting average]] in his last ten innings. The blue dots indicate an innings where he remained [[not out]].<ref name="testlist">{{cite web |url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/4560.html?class=1;template=results;type=allround;view=match |title=Statsguru – IM Chappell – Test matches – All-round analysis |access-date=15 April 2008 |work=[[ESPNcricinfo]] |archive-date=11 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711030131/https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/4560.html?class=1;template=results;type=allround;view=match |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
The highlight of Chappell's career was Australia's 4–1 win over England in 1974–75 that reclaimed The Ashes. Strengthened by the new fast bowling partnership of [[Dennis Lillee]] and [[Jeff Thomson]], the Australians played aggressive cricket and received criticism for the amount of [[Bouncer (cricket)|short-pitched]] bowling they employed.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154334.html ''Wisden, 1976 edition'': The MCC in Australia and New Zealand 1974–75.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120710165052/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154334.html |date=10 July 2012 }} Retrieved 18 August 2007.</ref> Chappell scored 90 on an "unreliable" pitch on the first day of the opening Test at Brisbane.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153460.html ''Wisden, 1976 edition'': 1st Test Australia v England, match report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120722070415/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153460.html |date=22 July 2012 }} Retrieved 18 August 2007.</ref> He finished the six Tests with 387 runs at 35.18 average, and took 11 catches in the slips.<ref name=Statsguru/> The Test matches attracted big crowds and record gate takings, enabling Chappell to negotiate a bonus for the players from the [[Cricket Australia|Australian Cricket Board]] (ACB).<ref name=Bulletin>[http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=132856 Tight flows the Don.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012183219/http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=132856 |date=12 October 2007 }} ''The Bulletin''. Retrieved 8 October 2007.</ref> Although this more than doubled the players' pay, their remuneration amounted to only 4.5% of the revenue generated by the series.<ref>Harte (1993), p 560.</ref>

Within months, Chappell was back in England leading Australia in the [[1975 Cricket World Cup|inaugural World Cup]].<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/cricket/items/s772864.htm ABC Sport: One-day cricket's tactical evolution.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208051806/http://www.abc.net.au/cricket/items/s772864.htm |date=8 December 2007 }} Retrieved 11 October 2007.</ref> His dislike of the defensive nature of limited-over cricket led to the Australians placing a full slips cordon for the new ball and employing Test-match style tactics in the tournament.<ref>[http://www.sportstaronnet.com/tss3010/stories/20070310014504800.htm Leading from the front.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521195310/http://www.sportstaronnet.com/tss3010/stories/20070310014504800.htm |date=21 May 2011 }} ''The Hindu Sportstar Weekly''. Retrieved 13 November 2007.</ref> Despite the apparent unsuitability of this approach, Chappell guided the team to the final where they lost a memorable match to the West Indies.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150279.html ''Wisden, 1976 edition'': Prudential World Cup final, match report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120709102645/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150279.html |date=9 July 2012 }} Retrieved 6 April 2017.</ref>

The workload of the captaincy was telling on Chappell and the four-Test Ashes series that followed the World Cup dampened his appetite for the game.<ref>Chappell (1976), p 120.</ref> After winning the only completed match of the series, the first Test at [[Edgbaston Cricket Ground|Birmingham]], Australia's retention of the Ashes was anticlimactic: the third Test at Leeds was abandoned due to vandalism of the pitch during the night before the last day's play.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/216592.html Cricinfo: Vandals stopped play.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120707060838/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/216592.html |date=7 July 2012 }} Retrieved 13 November 2007.</ref> In the last Test at the Oval, Chappell scored 192 from 367 balls to set up an apparent victory. However, England managed to bat for almost 15 hours to grind out a draw and Chappell announced his resignation from the captaincy on the final day of the match.<ref>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153459.html ''Wisden, 1976 edition'': 4th Test England v Australia, match report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120715210718/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153459.html |date=15 July 2012 }} Retrieved 13 November 2007.</ref> In 30 Tests as captain, he scored 2,550 runs at an average of 50, with seven centuries.<ref>[http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=player;playerid=1243;class=testplayer;filter=basic;team=0;opposition=0;notopposition=0;season=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;startdefault=1964-12-04;start=1964-12-04;enddefault=1980-02-06;end=1980-02-06;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;result=0;followon=0;seriesresult=0;captain=0;keeper=0;dnp=0;recent=;viewtype=aro_summary;runslow=;runshigh=;batposition=0;dismissal=0;bowposition=0;ballslow=;ballshigh=;bpof=0;overslow=;overshigh=;conclow=;conchigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;dismissalslow=;dismissalshigh=;caughtlow=;caughthigh=;caughttype=0;stumpedlow=;stumpedhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype Cricinfo: IM Chappell career summary.] Retrieved 13 November 2007.</ref>

===First retirement===
Remaining available for Test cricket, he played in the 1975–76 series against the West Indies under the captaincy of his brother Greg. Australia avenged their loss in the World Cup final by winning 5–1, claiming the unofficial title of best team in the world.<ref name=Wisden77>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153010.html ''Wisden, 1977 edition'': West Indies in Australia 1975–76.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120714161351/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153010.html |date=14 July 2012 }} Retrieved 13 November 2007.</ref> During the season, Chappell incurred censure for his behaviour in a Sheffield Shield match and was warned not to continue wearing a pair of [[adidas]] boots with the three stripes clearly visible. This breached the prevailing protocol of cricketers wearing all white.<ref name=Wisden76>[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154504.html ''Wisden, 1976 edition'': Cricketer of the year — Ian Chappell.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130121060447/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154504.html |date=21 January 2013 }} Retrieved 19 August 2007.</ref> His highest innings of the summer was 156 during Australia's only loss, at [[WACA Ground|Perth]] in the second Test. ''Wisden'' nominated him as the most influential player of the series for his 449 runs at an average of 44.90.<ref name=Wisden77/> Throughout the course of the series, Chappell passed two significant milestones when he became the fourth Australian to make 5,000 runs in Test cricket and the first player to hold one hundred Test catches for Australia.<ref>Chappell (1976), statistical appendix.</ref> The summer ended in controversy and triumph in the domestic competition. During a dispute with the [[South Australian Cricket Association|SACA]] over team selection, he threatened a "strike" action by the SA team. After the matter was resolved, Chappell led the side to the Sheffield Shield title for the second time in his career and shared the inaugural Sheffield Shield player of the season award with his brother Greg.<ref>Mallett (2005), pp 126–128.</ref> He retired from first-class cricket at the end of the season, aged only 32.<ref>Mallett (2005), p 128.</ref>