He has always been forthright when it came to his views regarding his team, opponents and pretty much everything related to the state of the game in present times.
Steve Waugh, Australia’s World Cup-winning captain, arrived in England for the semifinals and finals of the ongoing cricket World Cup only to see two strong teams, India and Australia, get knocked out.
In England, as the ICC’s Men’s Cricket World Cup Ambassador, he engaged with children from six cricket teams from Brazil, Rwanda, Germany, England, Indonesia and India showcasing the power and impact of social or street cricket by playing their own version of cricket in the central London fan park, two days ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final at the Lord’s Cricket Ground.
During the event, Waugh had an interaction with a select group of mediapersons from different countries. He reflected on the results of the two semifinals and felt New Zealand assessed the conditions better than India. However, Waugh did not find fault with Virat Kohli’s on-field tactics and said M.S. Dhoni still had it in him to take India through to the finals, had he not got run out to an exceptional direct hit from Martin Guptill.
Waugh did say that Dhoni might have slowed down a bit, but that was not the reason for the result in Manchester. For someone who has been part of two World Cup-winning campaigns in his career, Waugh knows a thing or two about what it takes to win one. According to him, World Cup wins require that 'X factor' in fielding.
One of Australia’s most successful captains, the creator of mental disintegration, Waugh also felt that hosts England were playing fearless cricket, which set them apart from their predecessors and found no apparent weaknesses in the side. However, Waugh stopped short of terming England the best-ever ODI team, saying he would rather wait till Sunday for the result. Waugh also refused to hedge bets on who would win. He will be returning to England for the forthcoming Ashes as the mentor to the Australian team.
Waugh expressed satisfaction with the quality of cricket and pitches on display in the World Cup, saying that he was all for 250 runs being scored as it brought bowlers into the picture. He made it clear that he was all for different formats co-existing in cricket as long as it did not affect the primacy of Test cricket, which for him was paramount.
Excerpts from the interaction:
Are you surprised with the way the Aussies lost on Thursday?
It’s called cricket, mate. Someone’s going to win, someone’s going to lose. England were too good. Someone’s got to put up their hand and say, “opposition was too good”. And it's surprising. The first semifinal was a surprise. And in the second, the margin of victory was also surprising.
Why was the first semifinal a surprise for you? Did Virat Kohli make any tactical error in that match?
I think it was a big surprise for you guys than for me! (Laughs) Did he make any tactical errors—no. New Zealand played really well. Jimmy Neesham’s brilliant catch and Guptill’s run-out—World Cup matches are sometimes won on fielding expertise.
Credit should be given to [Kane] Williamson and [Ross] Taylor. They got a lot of criticism for batting too slowly, but they summed up the conditions really well. To win the World Cup, you have got to be really street-smart and that’s what they did. They could have gone hard early the way Australia and India did and lost early wickets, but New Zealand had a game plan that gave them a chance to win, so I think (it was) not so much negative for Kohli but positive for New Zealand.
What do you make of M.S. Dhoni at age 38? Has he slowed down a bit?
Look, the guy has been a genius in one-day cricket. Again, the other day, until the run-out, he may have won the game again. You have to remember if he wasn’t such a good player, you wouldn’t be doubting what’s he doing. Till he is there, he gives you opportunities (to win). The amount of time he has got India across the line has been amazing. Sure he’s bit slow, but I’ll still trust him with what he is doing.
There was a suggestion from Kohli for the World Cup, maybe, to have IPL-type play-offs to decide the winner. Comments.
Maybe, the suggestion comes from India after their defeat in the semifinal! Everyone knows the rules before we play. The current format is good. The World Cup is all about performing under pressure. I think one more game would drag the schedule.
Cricket is going to see a new world champion on Sunday. How good is that for the game at the international level?
Very bad! Australia won it... (they must) win it again! No, realistically, its good. I think it’ll be really important if someone like New Zealand, which is a great rugby country... (they’ve) probably the greatest sporting team in the world in the All Blacks.
Cricket is always (trying to) get a foothold. So, to make the final and potentially win it will be game-changing for New Zealand. England, of course, have been to three World Cup finals. The country is very passionate about cricket. I know what it's like to win a World Cup. It’s exciting, and the people get behind it. They feel they’re a part of it.
Who’s your money on?
I don’t bet on cricket!
The World Cup didn’t see big scores, as was expected.
I knew there were big scores when the grounds were small, and the pitches flat. I much prefer watching a one-day game... (where it's) 250 versus 250. Because that means that the bowlers are in. It’s more entertaining to watch, I think. The bowlers can showcase their skills and put some pressure on the batsmen. I like those sort of scores. But maybe, other people want 400 runs [by a team in an innings]. I don’t know. You never know. Lord’s might be a flat pitch. It might be a 350-plus (score game) on Sunday.
What makes this England team different from its predecessors?
Well, they play without fear. That is very hard to do in professional sport. There are no weaknesses in the side. They are a very good fielding side, they bat all the way down, (have) numerous bowling options, they are almost a complete side. One of the best one-day sides I have seen. We will obviously judge them by their performance on Sunday if they win. If they win, they will be one of the greatest one-day sides they ever had; if they lose, then they will be one of the teams that tried but didn’t make it. They have the potential to be a great one-day team.
Do you think the standard of cricket has been great for one-day cricket this World Cup or is 20-over and 100-ball cricket the way to go?
I don’t know where we are going. I don’t know a lot of 100-ball cricket, so it will be street cricket next up! As long as people are enjoying cricket, that is good. But, to me, Test cricket is most important. The players need financial security to take care of themselves, family and business later on, but as long as they don’t take anything away from Test cricket, I am happy with all those forms coming in.
Your thoughts on World Championship of Test Cricket due in three years?
Its well overdue... Should have been there 10 years ago. But, somehow, we just couldn’t manage it. Yeah, you definitely need World Championship of Test Cricket.
Who will be the key man for England on Sunday?
All 11 will be key men in a World Cup final. You can't rely on others to do the job; you have got to step up and do it yourself. Jason Roy is the form player of the tournament, Jofra Archer is giving England that X factor. I would expect Ben Stokes to produce something special in the final. England have 11 potential match-winners.
Tell us about your role for Australia in the forthcoming Ashes. Are you supposed to mentor the team?
Look, it’s a new role, so you’re right. It’s sort of a mentoring or overseeing role. I guess I’ve seen most thing in my 20-year career, from, you know, not winning a Test match in my first 18 months to not scoring a Test century for three-and-a-half years. So, I saw the downside and the tough times. To then going on to be the No 1 batsman in the world, and winning 16 Tests (in a row), to winning two World Cups. I’ve seen it from both sides.
So, I’ll give the players a bit of a clear perspective. I’d given them a roadmap to success for this World Cup. It’s really about observing, like with the Olympic teams in Beijing and London. It’s looking and saying things from a different point of view and coming from outside the side, observing, not really telling what to do, but just giving my take on what’s being going on.
What is the fundamental aim of Criiio Cricket that the ICC is promoting?
It’s a celebration of street cricket. I know that’s how I started playing cricket back home in Australia. We had different pitches for front yard, backyard, driveway. We made stumps with garbage bins or drew stumps on garage door and we had imaginary fieldsmen in bikes, scooters and swimming pool. I think that’s what the spirit of street cricket all about—you can play anytime, anywhere as far as your imagination allows.
Did you learn something from it?
That’s how we learnt different fielding skills, learnt different shots. Our frontyard had a big slope, a bit like Lord's, and that’s why Mark and I are very good leg-side players: When you bowl a ball, it would come down to our legs. Makhaya Ntini’s (yard) had a a hole—that’s why he bowls wide of the crease. That’s how you develop your skills and technique growing up.