Sitting in Melbourne, overlooking the Yarra under murky skies and the prospect of the first ODI on Friday night, the incredible events of Tuesday in Sydney seem a long time ago. It is a fact that life moves on, and indeed, the time of the Australian test team and the time of its captain Stephen Waugh have now been overtaken by nostalgia, by post mortems and by the advent of the coloured clothing game. From the moment we landed in Sydney till the time we entered the residence of Stephen’s manager, Robert Joske, for a private party and celebration of a remarkable career, there was little or no escape from ‘‘Waugh-mania’’. Every paper or news story featured articles and reports on Stephen. The crowds would gather early at the ground so that they could catch a glimpse of Tugga and, once sighted, spontaneous and rapturous applause erupted. Fans gathered to pay homage to their beloved captain, try to touch or get close to him but, if not, just shout their undying admiration. Those who sought to exploit the commercialism of the event succeeded only in heightening the adulation, one older member of our group likening it to the days of The Beatles when they were mobbed by hysterical young fans. These signs of admiration and appreciation of the person were certainly not hysteria, but I could not help but wonder what it must have been like when Bradman presided in town. From the moment the toss was lost, the game never went the way the scriptwriters had written the final episode of Waugh’s final test. Vital chances went astray. Our bowling never quite threatened consistently and the Little Master emerged from the shadows of relative obscurity to craft 241*. His partnership with the irrepressible Laxman pushed India to safety of 705 for 7 declared. Back-to-back Test matches are difficult for all concerned, especially when the Boxing Day Test goes into the 5th day. Hence, one of the main advantages of winning the toss in Sydney is to bat and allow the remainder of the team, particularly bowlers, to rest and set themselves for their first efforts later on the second day. We battled our way to a respectable draw which in some respects was a disappointing end to a wonderful series. The scenes around the ground were phenomenal; the speeches were packed with emotion; and the dressing room at the end of the game overflowed with well-wishers. From the Prime Minister to life-long family friends to a teary-eyed wife, Lynette — everyone who could get in there to pass on a message was there. We finished the evening in the rooms with a tribute poem penned by Brisbane bard Rupert McCall, and then it was over to Tugga to lead the team in one last ‘‘Beneath the Southern Cross I stand’’. Nostalgia has a happy way of misting reality — in the final analysis, we were unable to achieve a series victory for many reasons. But if one had to choose one significant factor, it was certainly the Indian batting which was most influential in the final result. Indian selectors chose well with Chopra, who played an important role with Sehwag to give their side a start. Only three times in the series were they unsuccessful, all second innings, one of which was in the rain affected game in Brisbane. Dravid was masterful and shared major partnerships with Ganguly, Laxman, and Tendulkar. A closer analysis of batting comparisons will show that: • India’s batsmen left the ball 22% v Australia 14.5% • India scored from only 25.4 % of balls v Australia’s 29.3% • India scored at 3.5 runs/over v Australia at 4 runs/over • India lost wickets at average of 84.5 balls v Australia at 71 balls per wicket In summary, the top order of India’s batting showed great patience, concentration and application of their undoubted skills to give their team best chance of controlling the game. It allowed the persistent Kumble to gradually assert himself in the series finishing with 24 wickets. And it gave the likes of Khan, Agarkar and Pathan an ability to attack, knowing they have the security of a resolute batting order. But the series and Waugh’s last Test are now consigned to history forever. As the golfer Greg Norman says, ‘‘You should never look back, because the only thing you can change is the future!’’ In two days’ time India, Zimbabwe and Australia embark on four weeks of ODIs. While Zimbabwe return from their series at home against the Windies, Australia and India will be looking to the new players such as Yuvraj, Badani, Symonds, Clarke, Harvey, Bevan, Hogg to inject life, enthusiasm and one-day skills into those Test players returning to the one-day format. With Australian one-day wickets being generally the best batting wickets, consistently, around the world; and with both India and Zimbabwe having this skill as their major weapon for the tournament, the scene is already set for something special. So if this second half of the summer can match the first, spectators both at the ground and those viewing or listening through the media can continue to enjoy great entertainment, even if the Waugh is over! And I leave it to a popular band, Green Day, with some words from their song Time of your life, to sum up what has been so far and maybe the final verse for Tugga’s amazing cricket career: It’s something unpredictable, But in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.’’ (Gameplan)
