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Former Test skipper Ian Chappell believes current players are “fair game” for ex-teammates-turned commentators, but there is a limit.
Speaking following Mitchell Johnson’s explosive comments about David Warner in his column in the West Australian, Chappell suggested ex-players who don’t want to make comment on former teammates make “wishy washy” commentators.
But they have to weigh up whether or not any comments made are actually constructive or provide any insight.
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“As long as it wasn’t tearing a guy down, I always thought that it was fair game,” he told Wide World of Sports.
“In other words, I’m not trying to ruin a guy’s career. I’m making a point of where I think he’s going wrong now (and) he can read it and take no notice or whatever.
“But the business of not wanting to criticise your teammates … you’re not gonna make too many comments if you go that way.
“That was always my idea as a commentator, and if people didn’t like it, well they could either turn me off or turn the volume down.”
In his column published on Sunday, Johnson said Warner should have taken the debate over his selection this summer out of the hands of selectors by retiring earlier, instead of flagging the Sydney Test against Pakistan as his last.
He also accused Warner of believing he was “bigger than the game”, and that coach Andrew McDonald’s strategy of picking players on current performance “doesn’t seem to have applied to Warner for quite a while”.
“Does this really warrant a swansong, a last hurrah against Pakistan that was forecast a year in advance as if he was bigger than the game and the Australian cricket team?” Johnson wrote.
Chappell said commentators should be free to speak their mind, but warned against straying into inflammatory areas for the sake of it.
“You have to sleep at night – you’ve got your own conscience to deal with, but then you’ve also got your credibility as a commentator,” he explained.
“And if you’re saying that a bloke’s playing really well and he’s making 3, 7, 5, the public are gonna say ‘what the hell is this guy talking about? He’s talking through his hat’.”
Chappell said he was lucky though to be able to work with commentary legends including the late Richie Benaud.
“I did admire his acumen on the game … and his words are sticking in my mind even now,” Chappell said.
“There was a player I was coming out quite strongly about some of his feelings and I rang Rich and I said, ‘I’m not sure about that’.
“Richie’s answer was typically Benaud – very short and to the point. Richie said ‘you weren’t a wishy-washy captain. Why are you going to be a wishy-washy commentator?’
“Richie said his piece, and that just confirmed for me what was turning around in my mind.”
Chappell also said he would prefer players announce their retirement after they’ve played their last game, but acknowledged the game had evolved from when he played.
“That how I liked to finish it, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for everybody,” he said.
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