Clayton Murzello: Two lookalikes, two quiet achievers

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri is the flavour of the sporting week and with good reason For football pundits reckon he pulled off the biggest miracle since Jesus raised Lazarus from the deadI discovered recently that Ranieri is a lookalike of former Australia offspinner Ashley Mallett who like Ranieri has been a quiet achiever right from the time he was part of his countryrsquos spin attack in the late 1960s Mallett was a big performer on Australiarsquos 196970 tour of India where his 28 wickets helped Bill Lawryrsquos men beat India 31Leicester Cityrsquos EPLwinning manager Claudio Ranieri left and former Australia offspinner Ashley Mallett PicsGetty Images Patricia GardnerMallett 70 was Australiarsquos bestknown name in spin coaching after his departed mate Terry Jenner Not so very long ago he was Sri Lankarsquos spin consultant who worked with mystery spinner Ajantha MendisIn his playing days Mallett coped with some indifferent selections and as his captain Ian Chappell wrote in the Foreword to Spin Out ldquoSelectors have often misunderstood Mallettrsquos ability and value to the Australian side and I believe they can take the full blame for Ashley retiring from the game before his time as a player was uprdquoMallett was gutsy on and off the field When Sir Don Bradman phoned to ask him if he would be part of Bob Simpsonrsquos squad in 197778 since the best players had defected to Packer he wanted to know if he would be a certainty in the XI That would provide him financial securityTwo days later Mallett got a 20000 per year contract to play World Series Cricket The deal materialised after an incident which he mentions in his biography on ChappellChappell phoned Mallett to convey a message that Packer was happy to offer him a contract if he came down to Sydney and bowl to the business tycoon Mallett would be part of World Series Cricket if he could get Packer out in one over ldquoTell Mr Packer to get fedrdquo Mallett told ChappellMallett eventually joined his former mates in the circus without having to prove his ability to PackerAfter his playing days Mallett held his own among the finest writers in world cricket In terms of authorship he has stayed prolific writing incisive biographies on his former teammates Chappell Jeff Thomson and Doug Walters apart from literary works on Victor Trumper and Clarrie Grimmett Even at 70 Mallett has no intention to stop writing or helping spinners He has 32 books published under his name and is all set to see his 33rd come to fruitionMallett was not blessed with natural ability but worked at his craft and kept believing in himself At a recent function in Sydney he revealed a conversation he had with one of his teachers at Mount Lawley High School in Perth When Mallett told the teacher of his lifersquos ambition he shot back ldquoThere is no money in cricket and your English is not very goodrdquoOver the years the teacher heard about Mallettrsquos cricketing exploits and when Book No 26 was released the old teacher received a copy As a young cricketer Mallett dreamt of taking 100 wickets for Australia and he reached that target at the Sydney Cricket Ground when he dismissed Geoff Arnold a wicket that regained the Ashes for Australia after three years and 326 daysRanieri too has written a book mdash Proud Man Walking mdash about his last year at Chelsea proceeds of which went to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London And like Mallett loves reading He once surprised an interviewer by revealing that he doesnrsquot read one book at a time but threeLike Mallett he has also fallen foul of authority and unrealistic expectations When Roman Abramovich took control of Chelsea in 2003 it was after Ranieri had guided the team to a Champions League spot edging out Liverpool The following season he finished ahead of Manchester United but behind Arsenal who didnrsquot lose a game all season In the Champions League Chelsea were the only English team to make the semifinals but a spirited comeback from Monaco at Stamford Bridge eliminated them Ranieri ended up losing his job because of that lsquofailurersquo and it was conveniently forgotten that Monaco had knocked out starstudded Real Madrid in the earlier roundAt Leicester where he was allowed to operate freely he has won the first league title of a nomadic careerOn the face of it Claudio Ranieri and Ashley Mallett have a lot in commonmiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom