How does that contrast to the man that you knew as a competitor, as, as a friend?

Yeah, I mean, he's always been a charismatic individual, very athletic individual, terrific cricketer, good all-round cricketer.

He could have played for Pakistan as a fast bowler.

He could have played as a batsman alone.

There's not many, um, all-rounders that can say that.

I mean, most of us that have been part-time all-rounders, we're in the side for either our batting or our bowling, and we do the other okay.

But he was good enough to be in the team, um, as one or the other.

Have you personally been able to engage with Pakistan's government on this?

[chuckles]

... with short pitch bowling.

I, I was pretty unhappy at the time, but luckily, when I looked back on it years later, I realized how lucky I was that I had that experience before I came up against the West Indies, because I'd been-- I'd started developing my processes, my mental skills, um, in, in that backyard years ago as to how to deal with short pitch bowling.

But it still came as a shock when it, when it happened.

And you know, I've been asked over the years, you know, "How did, how did you do it?" Well, at each level, you had somebody who was a bit quicker than you'd faced before.

So you'd had a gradual introduction to the increase in, in pace, so that when you got to the top level, it wasn't a shock.

But some of these, you know, the young...

What's your assessment of Australian wickets, Greg, over the last, say, four or five years?

[laughs]

It was about two pound, three ounces.

It wasn't a, a heavy bat at all, but it, you know, it was a bat of the times.

But, you know, he, he used that bat like a sword.

Um, you know, he came to South Australia and played three seasons after that series.

Um, so then I was in my mid-teenage years and, and I really, um, you know, watched him, watched him closely, and you couldn't help but watch him.

He, he had an aura wherever he went, um, you know, whether it was in the practice nets, whether it was in the middle, whether it was just sitting watching, whether it was just sitting talking.

Mm

[laughs]

It was about two pound, three ounces.

It wasn't a, a heavy bat at all.

But it, you know, it was a bat of the times.

But, you know, he, he used that bat like a sword.

Um, you know, he came to South Australia and played three seasons after that series.

Um, so then I was in my mid-teenage years, and, and I really, um, you know, watched him, watched him closely, and you couldn't help but watch him.

Mm

Greg Chappell did.

Oh, it's been a remarkable reaction from all around the world, but particularly from within Pakistan itself.

We, we didn't hear anything officially back, and we didn't expect to hear anything from the prime minister or the head of the army.

But the response within the country was, um, very strong, and I've been contacted by Pakistanis from all around the world, you know, wishing us well and thanking us for, you know, having an interest in, in their prime minister and their former cricket champion.

Um, I can't say that we, we're all great mates, but we have great respect for each other, you know, having played cricket against each other.

And the unifying factor of all 14 names on that, on that list that, that signed the letter, you know, they have great respect for Imran as a person.

They have great respect for Imran as a cricketer, and they have a great respect for the, the way that he fought for fairness within cricket.

Well, I, I mean, it-

Um, just in relation to that, Greg, like, uh, uh, you know, when you write that about what is, um, what the future looks like for cricket, um, are you personally a traditionalist? Uh, d- you know, a-and what do you make of the, um, the general privatization of the game?

Yeah.

It's a, it's a long story, long answer, I guess.

I mean, I, I grew up in a sporting family, but particularly a cricket family.

There was only one format in, in the day, so I dreamed about playing test cricket and, you know, playing for Australia and wearing creams and playing in daylight and on big green fields and, and so on.

And, and luckily enough, I got to do it.

And I, and I played in an era when it...

Do you think the public are entitled to ask, Greg, if the horse has bolted, you know, if this is a fait accompli, is the pu- is the public entitled to ask, and I mean the Australian public, did anybody fight for this? Were there other options available? Or is the direction of travel