Steve Waugh to Retire at the SCG

[anzac]

I don't think that he has been under as much pressure as he was prior to & during The Ashes - or maybe I have missed the coverage.

I think he has chosen this time to go out as much on his terms as he can be asured of - ie home town test match. I think family & next year's schedule are as much an influence as his knowledge that he would be dropped with any loss of form. At least with him making the announcement he has control rather than having the rug pulled. I do not think the selectors would have said anything more other than in confirmation of their earlier statement re selection after Sydney.


So far as India goes I think any cricketer will always have some unfinished business when they retire, let alone anyone as competitive as Tugga. I also think this Aussie cricketing machine will not struggle in his absence - after all they will be replacing only 1 batsman, and the Captain to be already leads most of the team in ODIs - not a major culture shock of changes to be made. IMO it will be up to the likes of Martyn to play the sort of role Waugh has done, even taking into account that he is not in the same mold. Yes Waugh will be missed, but part of his legacy to the team is that their success is not dependant upon his being there.

Instead of bemoaning his retirement we should celebrate the career of not only Australia's most successful Captain, but also one of the game's greatest, most dogged & determined and most influential cricketers.

 

[Craig]

Something tell me it might be a good idea to get any tickets for the 4th Test as IMo it would be a sell out for almost the whole 5 days ready to witness a romantic moment in him making a hundred and his own crowd cheering him on.

 

[Mr. P]

Wrong. Love is certain to be the third ugly sister behind Katich and Clarke.

True that Katich and Love don't exactly have looks on their side:P

 

[Kenny]

We all know how much he wanted to play in india and win...That was his biggest ambition for the last few years... If he retires before he goes to india, it is without doubt, that it is because the selectors have told him that he won't be selected after the india series...

After giving 16 years of tremendous service to Australia..After moulding the current test and ODI team to it's extraodinary heights... After saving countless test and one-day matches... This is the treatment he getS? he doesn't get his biggest ambition... He avgs 104 in FC cricket this season... That's good form...

I fully agree with the sentiments in this post - there's no reason on form that he should be under any pressure at all.......it's simply to do with his age, and if that was a factor, why select Lehmann at age 33 to replace Mark Waugh?

 

[Linda]

True that Katich and Love don't exactly have looks on their side:P

So your saying Clarke has, eh?:P

Its sad to see Steve go... but it will be good for him to go out at the SCG. I agree with the comments about the hectic schedule next year. Hes 38, and yes hes fit and healthy, but he'll miss out on so much with his kids.
He's in good form. obviously, but isnt that a good time to go out? On top?

 

[Gaijin-san]

At least Waugh's announcement was less teary than Kimberley Hughes'

 

[age_master]

he has had a fantastic career and im sure he will enjoy possibly the best deserved break in the history of the world with his family. he will be missed.

 

[PY]

I think he has chosen this time to go out as much on his terms as he can be asured of - ie home town test match.

A la Alec Stewart

(IMO)

As an Englishman, I'm glad to see the back of him but still you have to respect the fact he's a class act. If I was him, (I wish), I would have wanted to go out at the top of my game at my home stadium in front of sell-out crowd.

 

[garage flower]

True that Katich and Love don't exactly have looks on their side:P

Throw in Lehmann, Hayden, Ponting and Gillespie and you've got one of the ugliest teams of all time.

 

[garage flower]

Great player, great captain, great cultivator of sledging (bullying), proven cheat. Good riddance!

 

[iamdavid]

I've actually heard of the possibility of Ponting captaining the side during the Indian series.

My guess is that thats why the selectors are taking so long , something is definately on their minds.

Ponting , despite his ODI succes has never captained in a test match , in fact he's only had about 10 FC fixtures in charge , if that.

IMO it would not be an alltogether stupid move to give him the captaincy now against modest oposition on home soil , rather than the high pressure situation he is likely to face in Sri Lanka , at least to get his used to the pressures of batting & captaining against a relatively weak attack.

It would not leave me awfully suprised if they did things that way.

As for Steve Waugh , all credit to him , he's been , along with SRT & BCL , the outstanding batsman of the last decade , and arguably the greatest leader this nation has ever had.
I dont beleive he was pushed , just its got to the stage where he dosent want to leave his young family any longer.

Now that he's not playing for AUS he will probably turn out for Bankstown a bit more , it is one of my carear ambhitions to one day dismiss Steve Waugh in a competitive game of cricket , Im moving to Sydney next year , who knows maybe in a decade or so when he's playing Bankstown seconds I'll get him

 

[Gaijin-san]

Don't get ****y buddy . He's floored opposition attacks and he'll floor you. If he doesn't then God help us, you're the next big pace gun.

 

[Eclipse]

I dont think he was pushed. I think he knew the selectors did not want him around for another whole year or two but I dont beleve he was pushed.

He said his wife said for the first time ever that she did not want him to go away anymore for me that would have somthing big to do with him making this final decision.

 

[Tom Halsey]

He said his wife said for the first time ever that she did not want him to go away anymore for me that would have somthing big to do with him making this final decision.

Correction, his young daughter

 

[marc71178]

As for Steve Waugh , all credit to him , he's been , along with SRT & BCL , the outstanding batsman of the last decade , and arguably the greatest leader this nation has ever had.

I would debate that, since I feel most people could've captained that side to that sort of record.

 

[roofromoz]

This moment was inevitable, but I was a bit surprised that he chose to retire at the end of the upcoming home series against the Indians. Would have thought that he would continue on to Sri Lanka and India. But as it has already been mentioned, he is probably sick of leaving his family for extended periods of time, and that probably was a great factor towards his decision.

Steve Waugh is a legend, no doubt about it. He has been a great leader and fighter, getting us out of many a messy situation, with his tenacity.

He will be missed, and will leave a massive hole in the test team. I would go for Clarke as his replacement (NSW bias coming out maybe! :P), but Love and Katich (and maybe even Hodge perhaps) would be in the running.

But first things first, let's hope that Tugga sustains his early season form in domestic cricket, and strings a few good scores together against the Indians, and finishes his career with a bang. A repeat performance of his century against England will absolutely bring down the house at the SCG.

And I do have a feeling that at least the first four days of the Sydney test will sell out pretty quickly now on the back of this announcement. And so it should be... this guy deserves a great send off.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I won't believe it until I see the Australian side take to the field in India without him.

Alex Ferguson syndrome anyone?

 

[age_master]

I would debate that, since I feel most people could've captained that side to that sort of record.

you would debte just about anything. this time though i agree with you, yeah hes a good cptain, but with the side as strong as it has been, his job hasn't been that hard, especially compared to the likes of Fleming

very good captain, yes, great, no


great player, yes

 

[Gaijin-san]

I would go for Clarke as his replacement

You're gonna fit in just fine

 

[Craig]

I won't believe it until I see the Australian side take to the field in India without him.

Alex Ferguson syndrome anyone?

Dont you mean Sri Lnaka?