March 14, 2002	Thursday	Zilhaj 29, 1422

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DURBAN (South Africa), March 13: Steve Waugh will be under pressure again when the third and final Test against South Africa starts at Kingsmead Friday just three days after leading Australia to what he described as one of the most satisfying wins of his Test captaincy career.

The 36-year-old Waugh has been a conspicuously successful leader of what is regarded as one of the best Australian teams of all time.

They have won all five matches they have played against South Africa this season and will be seeking to complete a clean sweep, at home and away, against the side that is ranked second on the World Test Championship ladder.

But Waugh’s own poor form with the bat makes him vulnerable.

He was subjected to several questions about the batting of himself and twin brother Mark after Australia’s four-wicket win in the second Test in Cape Town Tuesday.

Both Waughs have already been dropped from the Australian one-day team and will be returning home next week, while most of their teammates stay to prepare for a seven-match one-day series in South Africa.

The Australian captain acknowledged he had to perform to keep his Test place.

“You’ve got to score runs — no one expects a place or commands a place. It’s probably 10 years since I had a bad run, which is a long run without going off the boil. It’s always going to happen at some stage.

“Unfortunately when you’re over 35 and have a bad run it tends to get written up a bit differently — as soon as you’re a certain age, you’re gone. But it’s up to Mark and myself to prove that wrong and come back in Durban and score runs,” said Waugh.

Waugh said his sequence of low scores had been unexpected because he felt in good form. He said there was no magic formula to turn it around.

“You’ve got to go back to the drawing board and try and work out what’s been going wrong — trust yourself, stick to what you’ve been doing in the past and hopefully you’ll come out at the other end being successful.”

Whether or not he performs well, Waugh is confident Australia will be focused on winning again, even though the series and the world championship have already been decided.

“We pride ourselves on the so-called dead rubber matches,” said Waugh.

“It was one of my goals as captain to get rid of that syndrome where we probably didn’t play those matches as well as we should have. Our goal is to win the Test match and complete a clean sweep.”

He gave credit, though, to South Africa on the way they had come back from an innings and 360 runs defeat in the first Test to give Australia a close fight at Newlands.

South African Mark Boucher said his team, missing several regular players because of injury and the controversial withdrawal of Daryll Cullinan, had fought well.

South Africa recalled all-rounder Lance Klusener and seamer David Terbrugge in a 12-man squad for Kingsmead, which usually helps the seam bowlers. Opening bowler Dewald Pretorius was dropped.

Boucher said the left-handed opening partnership of Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer had given the South Africans a problem all summer.

He said the South Africans had tried hard all summer but the addition of several youngsters to the side had brought some much-needed enthusiasm and confidence into the camp.

Meanwhile, Shane Warne believes his 100th Test match, culminating in a four-wicket win Tuesday, was the best game of his illustrious career.

Australia reached their target of 331 shortly before tea on the final day, Warne there at the end on 15 not out.

He took eight wickets in the match, including six for 161 in the South African second innings when he completed 70 overs, 15 more than he had ever previously bowled in an innings.

He also scored 63 at a crucial stage of Australia’s first innings.

Before the Newlands Test he described Australia’s win over Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1992 as his favourite Test match but Warne was happy to concede that, from a personal standpoint at least, the win in Cape Town had now overtaken it.

“At the moment, the way I’m feeling, this probably does pip the Sri Lanka Test match as my favourite,” Warne said.

“From a team point of view the Sri Lankan Test was probably my favourite but from my own point of view I think this is probably my favourite-ever Test match.

“The good thing about the Australian cricket team is that this is a team sport and something an individual sport doesn’t give you is team achievement.

“It couldn’t have worked out any better. To be there and get a few runs at the end was just a wonderful feeling.

“It just means so much to have everyone here. Sometimes you win away from home and you speak on the phone to your wife and your parents and your brother and so on.

“To share it with them and win man of the match in my hundredth Test match is like a dream. I’ll probably wake up tomorrow and get none for 200 in the next Test probably and come back down to earth.

“I’m very satisfied but I’m absolutely knackered too, so hopefully I’ll be able to spend a little time on the beach before Durban.”—AFP/Reuters