Cricket commentator and former captain Ian Chappell battling cancer

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Cricket commentator and former captain Ian Chappell battling cancer

By Natassia Chrysanthos

Australian cricket commentator and former captain Ian Chappell has revealed he is undergoing treatment for skin cancer but claimed his prognosis was positive.

Chappell, 75, told News Corp on Thursday he had just completed five weeks of intense radiation therapy and had skin cancers removed from his shoulder, neck and underarm.

"I didn’t tell too many people early on. Mainly because I just wasn’t sure what the radiotherapy would involve and how weary I’d be," he said.

"But as it turned out, it wasn’t so bad. A bit of tiredness at night and a bit of skin irritation, but other than that I’m feeling pretty good."

He said he had become used to skin cancers over the years and was comforted by the fact none had been melanomas.

"It may be naivety on my part," he said. “I’ve had multiple skin cancers cut off, burnt off and every other way you can get rid of them."

Rod Marsh, left, and Ian Chappell on the golf course in 1976.

Rod Marsh, left, and Ian Chappell on the golf course in 1976.

Chappell said he decided to deal with the cancers after watching his mother Jeanne "come to grips" with death.

"You get to 70 and you start to think, 'Christ, it’s getting near the end now'."

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He will be meeting specialists on Monday but said early pathology reports had come back clear.

The cricket legend has been a regular commentator of the sport since 1980, when he joined Channel Nine's coverage.

He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975, and was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2003.

"With the Ashes coming up now, I’ll speak to Nine and just say, 'look, I’m ready to go if you need me'," he said.

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