 | News |  |
HOME | BOLLYWOOD | MOVIES | CRICKET | DIWALI | E-CARDS | COOKING | BABY NAMES | JOKES | FESTIVALS | MOBILES | CARS & BIKES | ||
InDepth headlines national business sports cricket regional entertainment technology world travel autos health | in-depth coverage > Ashes Series 2002-2003 > This is a great era in Australian cricket: Waugh 10.23 IST 25th Nov 2002 By IndiaExpress Bureau Aussie skipper Steve Waugh said on Sunday he could not remember his side ever playing better after beating England by an innings to take a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series. Talking to reporters, Waugh said he could find nothing to fault about the way his team crushed England for the second time in a fortnight. "We are playing superbly," Waugh said. "In five or 10 years time we'll look back and say this was a great era in Australian cricket." The Australians have won their last five tests but, despite their dominance, Waugh said it was unlikely they would eclipse the world record of 16 consecutive test wins between October 1999 and March 2001. "We're proud of the way we play and it's nice to win, that's why we play, but I don't think 16 will ever be beaten," Waugh said. "You need a bit of luck to get there. If you win quickly you take the rain out of the equation which is what we've done here, but I don't think we'll do 16 again." Waugh said he believed his team was not always given enough credit for their achievements with critics claiming their opponents were weak. But Waugh, who will equal Allan Border as the world's most capped player in history if he plays in the remaining three matches of the series, said the general standard of world cricket remained high. "We get plenty of accolades but sometimes people say the other sides aren't strong enough. But I've played test cricket for 17 years and the teams we're up against are pretty good sides," he said. "I don't think they're much worse or better than 10 years ago but I think we're just playing a very good standard of cricket." Waugh also warned his players not to under-estimate England despite thrashing them in the first two tests. "We could still lose this series, there's still three test matches to go," he said. "In both test matches England have shown they're capable of very good days but they just haven't stacked it together. "We're not going to get too carried away, we've played good cricket but we know it can fall apart the moment you start thinking too far ahead. "It's not a matter of (Australia) being vulnerable, it's a matter of England lifting themselves. "I'm not saying it's going to happen, I hope it's not going to happen, but I've played enough sport to know sides can come back. "They need us to not play at our best...but we're not silly enough to write them off." Waugh said England deserved credit for the way they batted on the first day when they reached the close at 295 for four but said the turning point was when Andy Bichel dismissed Michael Vaughan for 177 with the last ball of the day. With Vaughan gone, Australia's bowlers ripped through the England middle and lower order, dismissing them for 342 before lunch on day two then building a match-winning total of 552. England lost by an innings and 51 runs when they collapsed to 159 all out in the second innings on Sunday. "I thought England batted very well and at three for 295 they obviously would have been in the box position in the test match with us having to bat last," Waugh said. "That wicket of Bichel's was vital on day one because the next session on the next morning when we took six wickets for about 40 really turned the match around. "We knew 342 probably was below par on that wicket and if we could get a good first innings score we could do some damage." in-depth coverage > Ashes Series 2002-2003 > |
Marigold (Review) The Last Legion (Slideshow) Chak De India (Review) Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (Slideshow) Sachin Tendulkar makes Atherton eat his words Sachin Tendulkar joins 11,000 Test run club Sachin Tendulkar becomes third highest run-getter Sachin Tendulkar stills dreams about century at Lord's Tendulkar to go in Tests with confident frame of mind I am nowhere near the final stop yet: Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar closes in on Waugh’s Test aggregate Aviva Life signs Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador I am unfazed by criticism: Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar becomes first player to score 15,000 ODI runs Sachin's views on keeping Indian cricket at pace with times Tendulkar back into top twenty Entertainment Marigold : Movie Review When Salman and Ali Larter went Jet Skiing Ayesha Takia and Akshay Kumar in a supernatural thriller Sushmita Sen dating Dia Mirza's ex 'The Last Lear' selected for Toronto Film Festival |
