'Unacceptable': Former Aussie captain's eye-opening letter to Tim Paine

Aussie cricket legend Greg Chappell has penned an open letter to current captain Tim Paine after his ‘unacceptable’ behaviour in the third Test at the SCG.

Chappell has joined the chorus of critics that have slammed Paine for his foul-mouthed rant at Ravi Ashwin during Day 5 of the SCG test.

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Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar was among the strongest critics of the Aussie captain, who has apologised for his unsavoury antics in the drawn Test in Sydney.

Stump microphones picked up barbs that Australia's skipper directed at India veteran Ashwin during the 122nd over of Monday's stoic batting display by the visitors.

Paine claimed "at least my teammates like me, dickhead" during the spat and mocked Ashwin by asking "how many IPL teams wanted you, when you asked every single one of them to have you?"

The Aussie skipper apologised for his actions on Tuesday, admitting that he had a "really poor game as a leader" and let the pressure of the match get to him.

Despite apologising, Chappell has penned a letter in The Sydney Morning Herald claiming ‘talk is cheap’.

Greg Chappell calls out Tim Paine

Chappell said Paine must follow his own ethos, which he instilled in the team following the South African sandpaper scandal that rocked Aussie cricket, and lead by example.

“Abuse is not acceptable in any workplace and talk, in my opinion, is cheap. It does not show one’s strength. Rather, it displays a weakness of character,” he wrote in the publication.

“I urge you to impress on the team to let the bat and ball do the talking and set better examples to millions of impressionable little boys and girls, lest they start imitating the worst instincts and actions of their sporting heroes.

“You have led Australia with flair, courage and humour and have contributed immensely in rebuilding the image of Australian cricket following the events in Cape Town, three years ago. I urge you to keep leading in the way that you have been, since taking over the captaincy,” he added.

The test legend added that he was glad social media wasn’t around in his time, only compounding the criticism on the Aussie captain.

Chappell finished claiming critics should judge Paine on his overall contribution to Aussie cricket at the end of his career, rather than the lapse of judgement in one Test.

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