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| December 9, 2003 | Tuesday | Shawwal 14, 1424 |
Waugh upset by media attack over run-out
BRISBANE, Dec 8: Steve Waugh lashed out at the media over their reporting of his mix-up which led to the run-out of teammate Damien Martyn in the first Test against India.
The 38-year-old revered Australian skipper, who is retiring from international cricket after next month’s fourth and last Test against the Indians, said he was disappointed by what was written about his role in the run-out which triggered a mini Australian first innings batting collapse.
Waugh was out for a four-ball duck, two balls after being involved in a dreadful mix-up that resulted in Martyn (42) sacrificing his wicket in a needless run-out.
Waugh kept charging up the pitch despite Martyn raising his arm and sending him back.
Former Test captain Greg Chappell later blamed Waugh for the run-out and accused him of snubbing opener Justin Langer by hurrying on to the field before Langer had left after his top-scoring 121.
He said Waugh should not allow the emotion of his impending retirement from Test cricket to destabilise the Australian team.
Waugh, at his post-match press conference, took aim at the print media for what was written about the incidents.
“Too much has been made of it, that’s cricket, it was a mix-up, the next day I thought I had committed some sort of criminal offence,” Waugh told reporters.
“I think it was personal what was written the next day, I wasn’t appreciative of what was written because it was a mistake by both of us, we were both to blame for that run-out, yet some of the innuendo I read next day was very disappointing.
“The amount of finger-pointing and innuendo the next day, it wasn’t right, it’s a game of sport and if someone is going to write something then I would actually like them to write it, rather than the innuendo.”
Waugh, asked if he had got caught up with emotion of playing in his last Test in Brisbane the first of his farewell Australian tour, said: “That’s sport. One minute you’re up here with a massive high and then the next minute you’re down low.
“You just have to get some sort of balance and some sort of reality check for the whole thing.
“Justin Langer had scored his 100 the night before, he only scored 10 runs extra that morning ... that’s always the way I’ve played it, I always get out there pretty quickly, it was certainly no disrespect, that’s ridiculous to say that.
“And then people were saying I shouldn’t have announced my retirement, it was destabilising ... let’s be fair dinkum, let’s be realistic about the whole thing.”
It was noticeable on Monday that when Matthew Hayden was out for 99 and was returning to the pavilion, Waugh delayed until Hayden was well inside the gate before coming out on the field to bat in the second innings.—AFP
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