He is, by far, the most acclaimed Australian Test captain that ever strolled down the field. At his pomp, there never seemed a day where Australia’s opponents would walk down on the Kangaroos. No. Not on his watch. He countered the likes of South Africans in Protea land, the West Indians back in the Caribbean and under his guidance, the Aussies took the Mickey out of every cricketing side.
And now, Steve Waugh, the star of as many as 168 Test matches will be back to mainstream cricketing duties. Soon, one shall see the scorer of as many as 32 Test hundreds for Australia revisit the 22 yards, his distant home away from home for the better part of his life.
Confused? Well, don’t be. News is out that Steve Waugh shall be mentoring the current Australian Test side for the most keenly-awaited cricket series of the entire year, following the ICC 2019 World Cup: Ashes.
In what promises to be an interesting arrangement, Steve Waugh, among the most widely respected and vastly successful modern cricketers shall be realigning his focus for Cricket Australia.
And what could be possibly better for the Aaron Finch-led Australians, one might ask? You cannot be blamed for thinking that following their magnanimous triumph in the Ashes of 2017-18, wherein they crushed England 4-0, the 2019 Ashes may most likely be another unmistakably unforgettable series.
And make no mistake. Much of the current bright yellow-adorning side as seen on the lush outfields of England will undergo a jersey color change, as it’ll wear the pure whites to take up an exciting English challenge in what lies ahead in the summer.
As it is, with the return of two of the most dynamic scorers in the modern game- Dave Warner and Steven Smith- the current Australian structure looks solid. Imagine what might happen when bolstered by the mentorship of one of the game’s greats, the Aussies engage with England for one-upmanship in red-ball cricket?
A techincally sound batsman and a mentally tough character, Steve Waugh was admired for his on-field tenacity and regarded for this gentlemanly conduct off the field. The Aussies under Finch’s leadership will hope that some of Waugh’s character rubs off on them.
Meanwhile, Steve Waugh, excited by the possibility and challenge of his new role, happened to share the following:
“I know it is something that ‘JL’ and myself have been quite big on, that is to try and get some of our past legends in and around the team,” Paine said on the Cricket Australia website late Wednesday.
“During the World Cup as well, we have had Ricky (Ponting), and now with the Test series we are very fortunate to have Steve Waugh who is, obviously, a legend and is going to be great service for myself as a leader and captain.
“I think to have someone like him around during a Test series is going to be great for our whole group,” he added.