tooextracool said:
i cant believe that anyone in their right mind can rate steve waugh 'highly' as a captain. he had good leadership qualities yes, but if you've never seen waugh run out of ideas and have no clue what to do in certain situations, then i suggest you watch the india tour in 03/04, or go back to the VB series in 01, or even every time klusener came into bat. if ricky ponting has benefitted from the efforts put into the side by steve waugh, then steve waugh benefitted even further from the influence that mark taylor had on the australian side.
I wouldn't rate him as highly as Taylor, but I'd certainly rate him more highly than Ponting. You wouldn't? And it's a separate issue, but I also think too little is made of the respect Waugh had in the side, and his own performances in having that side built around him from being fairly impotent to world-beaters (and the influence his support and faith in particular players had in them reaching their potential). And if anybody had balls of steel when the team was against the wall and battling their way into a match (or saving it), it was Waugh.
And yes, every captain has some period where they run out of ideas. Waugh's tended to occur when his bowlers failed and he was on the receiving end of some absolutely memorable and game-turning knocks, or on tracks that were very bat-friendly (against India at home in 03/04 being a good example, being without his two top bowlers and having Lee in such terrible form). In general, his handling of his bowlers was actually very good, and he gave off the vibe that he knew what he was doing. He also seemed to react to events in front of him more. Certainly, we didn't require a rush of senior players to defend him in the press and insist that he was consulting with them as often as possible, and they were helping in every way they could.
And as someone who has watched Aussie cricket since the early 80's, I'm very surprised by the elevation of Border's captaincy over time. He was a great guy and you'd have him bat for your life, but nobody I knew at the time rated him incredibly highly - including himself. Of recent captains, I would rate Taylor highest, then Waugh, then Border, then Ponting. It's weird how fashions and fads change these perceptions well after their time though. Waugh seems to be ripped apart constantly since his retirement, and Border's on his way to becoming a god of captains. Strange to watch.
I mean, get back to planet earth. Australia's not getting done in this series because of anything mental, rather it's because of things like reverse-swing; catching etc. In other words, physical things that the coach should be helping players with.
