Yet another feather in the cap of Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh is now 5^th on all time leading run getters!
By Vimal Kumar

The fourth Test between Australia and West Indies was the 121th Test of the Aussie Captain Steve Waugh. After missing the third Test due to injury, Steve Waugh not only made a glorious century against the West Indians at MCG but in the process, he became the 5^th all time leading run-getters in Test cricket by replacing the master-blaster Vivan Richards.

Of late, he is not as consistent as before but still he is one of the best batsmen in contemporary cricket. For long, Steve Waugh has been the “crisis-man” for Australia. There has been an umpteenth time, when Waugh has either saved a Test match from precarious situations or has won the Test from hopeless situations.

In 1984-85, Steve Waugh started his career against the touring Indians. Initially, he was vulnerable against the short-pitched deliveries but he worked exceedingly hard to fine-tune this aspect of his batting. And he succeeded in his effort. Australia won the much-vaunted Frank Warrell Trophy in 1995, when it defeated West Indies in their backyard. Steve Waugh, along with his brother Mark was the key factor in winning the Trophy. Steve Waugh scored a double-century in that series and thus enhanced his reputation as a better player of fast bowling.

Bob Simpson-one of the most astute thinkers of the game, rates Steve Waugh very highly because of his ability to play fast and spin bowling with equal adroitness. Steve Waugh has also performed reasonably decent on the turning-tracks of sub-continent, where many of the ‘foreign players’ have struggled over the years.

One of the reasons for Steve’s lack of hype in media is due to his comparison with his twin-brother Mark Waugh. Steve may not have the silken grace of his brother Mark, but his credentials, as a great batsman has never been in doubt. Needless to say, Steve is one of the most admired and tough cricketers around the world.

Steve Waugh is now aiming to enter the ‘10000 club’ because he has already scored more than 8500 runs with an enviable average of 50 plus. It won’t take too many Tests for Steve to surpass Javed Miandad’s 8832 runs and Graham Gooch’s 8900 runs. Coming tour of India may be his last tour as a player, so he is determined to leave a solid stamp on Indian tracks and this is certainly not good news for Indian bowlers!