It hit me at nets: time for Tugga’s last farewell

It seems symbolic now as in 2000, Stephen Waugh’s captaincy of the Australian team was beginning to soar, having won five Tests in a row. His bright light of leadership is now to be extinguished with one last explosive flash in Sydney, after another 47 Tests at an incredible winning ratio of some 80 per cent.

I had the opportunity to talk with Lynette, his wife, last night and ask how she was managing this hectic last period of Stephen’s career. As always, she is calm, has a delightful smile and never a sense of anything but control. But yes, it has been busy, tiring and somewhat emotional over the last few weeks.

Obviously, there will be lots of emotion throughout the game and definitely a flood will engulf our rooms and all those who will be fortunate enough to share Tugga’s final epic war/Waugh.

I felt a sense of the end myself on Thursday morning at our traditional light pre-Test match training session. Stephen always looks for some throws after completing his nets, to leave each session feeling the ball in the centre of his bat. Never for long, and then, his normal call, ‘‘last ten’’. Suddenly, it flashed across my mind: it will be forever! This is the final Test that we will be associated as captain and coach — an association based on respect, a similar value set and looking to complement each other, not to dominate.

In the team meeting this morning, we once again committed to playing our game, continuing to build the momentum started on Day Two of the third Test, and keep our attention on the process of playing, not all the extraneous distractions that have been built up around this Sydney Test.

The series has been exciting for a range of reasons, and few would have confidently predicted that it would be decided in Sydney. The batting of Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Ponting, Hayden have produced memorable innings and partnerships of greatness.

Yet part of the batting excitement, or anticipation for this Test, is from the players who have yet to dominate — Tendulkar, Martyn, Waugh, Gilchrist. Of the bowlers, Agarkar has shown a feisty competitiveness that we were aware of, but not the Australian public.

Kumble has shown his unsappable endurance and never-give-in approach. Of our bowlers, it has been very pleasing to see all bowlers making an impact at some time — Gillespie, Bichel, Williams, Bracken, MacGill, Lee, Katich.

And the finale is the final Waugh event. While I expect the Test match to be a memorable one, in the end, it will be Stephen Rodger Waugh’s last appearance for which this match will be most remembered. As he confided to my eldest son while overlooking his beloved Sydney Harbour, he would love to finish on a personal high with a century.

However, he would be happy to sacrifice personal glory for an epitaph, which reads simply — Stephen Waugh, winner. He wants to lead Australia, in Sydney, to a final win, a series win and ultimately a career win.

Can we want anything more in the leader of the Australian cricket team?(Gameplan)