Waugh vows no Windies comeback

GEORGETOWN: Australia captain Steve Waugh says his side will do all it can to make sure that West Indies do not make a comeback in the Cable and Wireless 2003 Cricket Series after his side won the opening Test Match by nine wickets at Bourda Oval on Sunday here.

 Waugh recalled that in the corresponding series four years ago, West Indies came close to taking the series after Australia won the opening Test at Port-of- Spain by an innings and 322 runs. “We have learnt our lesson from four years ago, when we were complacent in the second and third Tests and paid the price,” Waugh told reporters at the post-match news conference. “When you are down in a four-match series, it’s not easy coming back. Even from playing this match, I know that West Indies have quite a few good batsmen and they may be stronger in the second Test, so we have to be at our best to make sure that we play well and not let them come back.”

Waugh acknowledged the dismissal of Brian Lara as the turning point in the match after the West Indies captain hit his 19th Test hundred to give his side some hope of saving the match. “At two for 290 on Saturday, the match was back on an even keel and it shows just what can happen in this Test series if we do not play well, but the wicket of Lara was crucial,” he said. “It was a chance wicket and we were fortunate to have gotten him. We made the most of it and that’s what good sides do. They make the most of their fortune, but this series will not be a stroll in the park. We have to play well to beat this side.”

Waugh was not too concerned that Lara shone in the second innings because the result of the match speaks for itself. “He’s a great player and he showed it again with his innings on Saturday; it was technically a good innings with a lot of power and placement,” he remarked. “There are only a few batsmen in the world that can make you change your field with the way they play their strokes and Brian is one of them. But we won this Test match by nine wickets, so I am not worried about Brian Lara. I’m worried about Australian cricket and how we are going to win. Brian can have a hundred every time if we win by nine wickets.” The Australians had another reason to celebrate. Opening batsman Justin Langer was named “Man-of-the-Match”. The second Test starts on Saturday in Port-of- Spain.