Ian Chappell’s gripe with Australia captain Tim Paine

[Hogg]

IAN Chappell has called on Tim Paine to assert his authority as Australia captain and wrestle control away from coach Justin Langer.

Paine was named interim captain in the wake of the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal before being given the role on a full-time basis. In his short time in charge he has already begun making changes to the way the team plays, most notably introducing pre-series handshakes.

However, Chappell believes the keeper has allowed Langer to have too much of an influence on the team since he was appointed coach in May.

“He’s allowed Langer to run the show,” Chappell told Wide World of Sports. “He should have got up there and said ‘this is the way we’re going to play, these are the things I want done’, and Langer is there as a subsidiary.

“If he wants the team playing a certain way he’s got to set that pattern. He’s got to tell them what he expects and then he’s got to play that way himself, and also in the way he conducts himself as a captain.”

Chappell captained Australia 41 times across Test and one-day cricket in the era before coaches, and has always been sceptical over how much of an influence a coach can have on how the team plays.

Paine and Langer’s first Test as a leadership duo starts on Sunday against Pakistan.