Waugh becomes third member of 300 club

MELBOURNE - Steve Waugh will enhance his reputation as the ironman of world cricket tomorrow when he plays his 300th one-day international.

The only other members of the exclusive club are Mohammad Azharuddin (334) and Wasim Akram (311).

When Waugh debuted almost 15 years ago to the day, his teammates included Dave Gilbert and Simon Davis, while long forgotten Kiwis Ervin McSweeney and Bruce Blair were among the opposition.

When asked about the match today, Waugh successfully remembered that Gilbert and Bruce Reid played for Australia but was stunned when asked if he had followed the fortunes of McSweeney.

"Yeah I still send Christmas cards to him," Waugh joked.

The game was eventually washed out, but not before Waugh faced a nerve-wracking moment in his fledgling career.

"I remember I took a difficult skied catch off (Kiwi all-rounder) Jeremy Coney," Waugh said.

"He top-edged one into a grey sky and I thought 'there is no way I'm going to catch it' so that is my memory of my first game."

Waugh reaches the 300-game landmark against the West Indies tomorrow in the opning match of the triangular series.

In his celebrated one-day career, Waugh has become the only man to play in both World Cup winning finals for Australia in 1987 and 1999, when he led the side to victory over Pakistan at Lord's.

But it is the game immediately prior to the 1999 final that stands out more than any other.

"I know people say you don't remember too many one day games but I can definitely remember the semi-final against South Africa for starters," he said.

The match ended in a tie after Allan Donald was run out going for the winning run, allowing Australia to advance to the final.

During his long career, Waugh has watched the one day game undergo significant changes.

"For instance in the first 15 overs we used to think 50 was a good score but now you are looking at 80 to 100 so that is a massive change," he said.

"Bowling wise we are more aggressive now in the first 10 or 15 overs and the fielding has definitely improved."

The physical toll has also continued to increase.

"Physically it is a lot harder than playing Test cricket," Waugh said.

"You are travelling a lot and you exert a lot more energy when you are playing.

"You are diving a lot more in the field and always striving to get into the crease so it does take a bit out of you."

Waugh said becoming captain had reinvigorated his passion for limited overs cricket.

"Captaincy is probably a challenge I needed in one day cricket," he said.

"Once you have played a lot of one day games, they sometimes can become a bit repetitive."

And it is the responsibility of being captain that makes Waugh reluctant to miss any match even though he knows playing eight preliminary games and up to three finals in the next month will take a huge toll on his ageing body.

"There is no reason why I can't be rested if I am feeling a bit stale or flat or fatigued," he said.

"But I have got to be a bit careful because it (the captaincy) is a position of responsibility and is a huge honor so I don't want to (miss a game) lightly.

"If there is a good reason to rest I would but more than likely I would prefer to play most of the games if not all of them." And that begs the question of just how many one day matches will Waugh end up playing.

The 2003 World Cup remains firmly in his sights.

"When I walk out there I still get a buzz and when I don't get that buzz any more it will be definitely time to give it up," he said.

"But at the moment I still really love playing for Australia."