Waugh lets his bat do the talking (15 December 1998)

15 December 1998

Waugh lets his bat do the talking

By Ian Chappell

IT was the tale of two Australian batsmen under pressure at the Adelaide Oval - one prospered by using his brains; the other perished because he failed to heed the warnings.

Mark Waugh looked a much more relaxed batsman in the second innings, suggesting that he is slowly putting the 'bookie affair/controversy' out of his mind while he is in the middle.

He sized up Darren Gough's spirited swing bowling and decided not to attempt to play his favourite leg-side drives because the ball was darting in late through the air.

This proved to be a sensible decision as Ricky Ponting opted to carry on playing the on drive and Gough outwitted him by getting one to hold its line instead of swinging sharply and it rearranged the furniture.

Ponting's failure to size up the bowler and the conditions could prove to be his undoing as the selectors will surely be forced to change a winning combination and choose Darren Lehmann at No 6.

On previous occasions when Ponting has been dropped from the Test side, he has had reason to curse the selectors, but if it happens this time he only has himself to blame.

For his patience and thoughtful batting, Waugh received a bonus from the captain. Mark Taylor allowed the Australian innings to linger so that Waugh could reach his half-century in an effort to help hasten the rehabilitation.

Waugh obviously enjoyed the therapy and also displayed his appreciation for the crowd's applause. His appreciative wave of the bat to all sections of the crowd seemed to be his way of saying thank you for the support and it appears that the public are already well on the way to forgiving, even if they haven't entirely forgotten.

Almost certainly, the other reason why Taylor extended the lead was to ensure England were buried mentally and had no way of coming back later in the series. Both of Taylor's psychological ploys worked a treat.

Waugh walked off the Adelaide Oval a happy man and with the trickle of English wickets always likely to turn to a flood, as the ball spins and jumps, there are plenty of war-weary cricketers in the tourists' camp at the moment.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)