BBC SPORT | Cricket | Counties | Kent | Waugh's agenda at Kent



By Martin Gough BBC Sport Online, Canterbury

During a recent broadcast, the Test Match Special team were reading out e-mails from listeners around the world when they came upon a communication from the University of Lapland.

The arrival at about the same time of a sniggering David Lloyd in the commentary booth led to a quick conclusion as to the true source of the missive.

If I do well and Kent ask me to come back then I might

Steve Waugh

But Australia captain Steve Waugh was left wondering whether he was the unwitting victim of one of the former England coach's practical jokes when he arrived at Canterbury on Monday.

"Was he joking or serious?" Waugh asked the assembled media pack when it was put to him that he could be on a spying mission ahead of the forthcoming Ashes series.

Lloyd criticises Waugh move

"If I want to watch England I can do it on TV, and I'm not the only overseas player over here."

Waugh's new county captain Matthew Fleming was even more forthright.

"It shows how paranoid and insecure England is," the former one-day all-rounder said.

"We should have more confidence in ourselves.

"Why not view this as an opportunity for English bowlers to find out if Steve Waugh has any weaknesses?"

Poor preparation

The brutal answer, in the past at least, has been that Waugh has few weaknesses.

Forty-one Tests against England have brought 2895 runs at an average of 61.59, with nine centuries.

But he was so desperate to sign off successfully from his final Ashes tour last year that he rushed back from a calf injury, and could have killed himself in the process.

Steve Waugh celebrates his Oval century
Waugh played at The Oval despite a calf injury
Waugh managed an unbeaten 157 at The Oval, celebrating three figures while lying prostrate on the ground.

But the extra damage he did in the process caused deep vein thrombosis on the flight home.

Rather than preparing for the season, he was housebound for six weeks.

And the result was a poor season with the bat, the loss of his place in the one-day side and the questioning of his position as Test captain.

This season he is determined not to make the same mistake, hence his arrival for a six-week stint at Canterbury.

Waugh last picked up a bat in anger in Durban last March - as Australia completed a 5-1 defeat of South Africa.

And, as possible Test rivals play in the one-day side, he would have had little opportunity to get his eye in ahead of the Test series with Pakistan in October.

"I didn't fancy facing Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar without having picked up a bat," he said.

Pressure of tradition

Waugh has been confirmed as captain for that Pakistan series but he knows the pressure is on if he is to retain his spot in the side.

Traditionally, Australian captains retire rather than fade away.

"It's pretty final," he admitted. "It's a great honour to be captain but the downside is that you can be out the back door if you don't perform.

Steve Waugh dismissed
Waugh was dropped from the one-day side in January
"But that's the way it is; I'm not going to fight it."

Only a year ago, a seemingly immortal Waugh was setting 2005 as a possible date for his retirement, but now he has been forced to take a shorter term view.

"Age doesn't come into it; it's whether you still have a competitive instinct," he insisted.

"My goal is to enjoy myself, and to see the little things that make people want to play the game."

Canterbury has an impressive batting track and Waugh has done well as a visitor in the past.

"It's one of my favourite grounds," he went on.

"I love the fact that there's a tree on the ground - it's not something you'd see in Australia."

There is no doubt that Waugh's mind is firmly set on scoring runs, and helping Kent in the process.

But if he does run into David Lloyd in the next six weeks, he might just inquire of the broadcaster known as Bumble whether this was another of his wind-ups.


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