Six weeks ago, if anyone had offered Steve Waugh the chance of a draw in the Sydney Test, he would have laughed it off. ‘‘It’s the mug’s option, mate’’, he would have said, his crow’s-feet eyes doing the sneering.To draw is not the Australian way; they live and die by the sword. It’s the way they are, always looking for answers, seeking solutions, right here, right now.It is possibly the way with all new societies, created out of people brought together for no other purpose but to improve themselves and/or their environment (or the one they’ve left behind!). That’s the way with the US and Canada — or with New Delhi, for that matter — though not, thankfully, with the West Indies.In the past few weeks, though, Australian sport has perished more often than it would care to. Before Adelaide, there was the heartbreak of the rugby world cup final when the Wallabies went down in the final seconds. It wasn’t supposed to happen; the wind-up masters thought they’d had the measure of the English.Then along came the Indians, as good an outlet as any for pent-up aggression and frustration. Just that someone forgot to tell Ganguly & co. Adelaide was an actual victory for India; this Test, whaveter happens tomorrow, has already been a moral victory for the tourists after posting 705 on the board.You might think the situation would prompt a certain circumspection in Australia’s approach on Tuesday. Don’t waste time betting on it; it’s as unlikely as Steve Waugh shedding tears on his walk back after his final innings. This will be their last shot at salvaging something of the sporting summer; don’t imagine they will let it slip.You may criticise the Australians for lacking the basic defensive skills and technique, leave alone desire, to bat out a day but remember, this is the same team whose single-minded approach to cricket has revitalised a game choking on its own staid, archaic style.Whatever happens tomorrow, Australia are a champion side. More so if, against all odds, they win. And if they lose, spare a thought for Sri Lanka, where they tour a few weeks hence. The empire will strike back.
