The Rediff interview/ Steve Waugh

'I don’t consider myself to be a star player'

A cricketer to be admired for more that just batting statistics, Steve Waugh has helped Australia’s one-day side to two separate World Cup victories and he led the Test side to a record breaking string of 16 victories. His record as a batsman indeed remains one of the most impressive in the sport. But it’s Waugh’s personal qualities that have won him respect around the world. On the pitch he’s gutsy, aggressive and unable to conceive defeat until the final wicket. Off the pitch he is deeply interested in world cultures and interesting documents with a flare for photography and he uses his good name and fortune to take a leading role in charities, both at home and in some of the poorest parts of India.

Steve Waugh speaks to Lorraine Hahn about his passion for the sport, his relationship with his family, his participation in charities, and the pressures and glory that come with wearing one of Australia's most famous symbols, the 'Baggy Green' cap, in a revealing in-depth interview.

But before I share that conversation with you, I think a disclosure is in order. I am no expert in the game of cricket and that’s putting it delicately, so if you looking for 30 minutes of chat about the intricacies of this sport, it’s possible that I just might let you down. But, if you would like to know more about Steve Waugh’s personal side, I think you want to stick around. I started our conversation by admitting to him that I am a bit cricket challenged and I asked him if he thought it’s too late for someone like me to take a liking to the game.

The problem is if you want to find follow a test match cricket, which is five days and pretty intricate, but one day cricket 50 hours each, it’s pretty simply really, who scores the most runs wins, so you’ll be able to follow that one without problems.

Do you have to be brought up in a cricket family, a cricket tradition in order to appreciate the game really?

Yeah, once again, there are two forms of that. Test match cricket is very traditional and it’s a bit like a game of chess, with all the tactics and trying to look ahead. So, for someone who’s brought up knowing cricket, it is probably the ultimate to play that game, but someone who just wants enjoy the game of cricket; they can just watch one-day cricket and it’s pretty simple. You, sort of, analyze and watch, but test match cricket you probable have to be brought up with that.

Interesting. What attracted you, and I know you have a twin brother as well who plays, to the game?

We just love sport. Our family is really sports oriented. We’ve four brothers in the family. Mom and Dad played tennis and a lot of other sports and it was always sports in our family. We had a big backyard and we had cricket balls and soccer balls and tennis rackets and everything was out in the backyard and we played 24 hours round the day almost, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Our family was just all sport and cricket was probably the sport we most enjoyed.

And you snuck in sometime to study, I presume in that.

Not much. I don’t know how we survived with the study, but we had some good friends who had some very good notes.

Now, you didn’t start off with cricket I heard, you started playing off with soccer.

Yeah, cricket and soccer were probably equal for me up until I was 16 or 17 and I played semi professional soccer and played for Australian schoolboys and I had to really make a choice because the coaches couldn’t understand how I was playing cricket in soccer season and vice versa and I had to make a choice and cricket was probably my first love, so I went that way.

Let me talk to you about your brother and your relationship to him. I mean, is it friendly rivalry, is it a partnership, I mean…

Yeah, a bit of all that and there is probable a bit of jealousy when we were growing up because being twins, we were always being compared, who is the best twin. People were always putting up against each other. In a way we are a little bit jealous of each other growing up. We got over that and now we are on the Australian side now and we’ve been there for quite a while. I think. I see Mark as the other player on the side, and we’re obviously very proud we are playing for Australia and it’s good for mom and dad, but I don’t see us as being anything special when my twin brother is playing for Australia and we are playing together.

Who’s the better player?

You have to ask someone else that.

Now, you were dumped for him about 11 years ago, right? I mean, he took over. Did that make you mad, did that upset you?

Not really, it was a difficult situation because I was called up by the Australian coach at the time and he said that I was dropped and I said that was fair enough coz I wasn’t playing that well. I said who is in the side and he said, Mark your brother. So, well that’s nice. I went round my parents place that time and mom knew straight away there was something wrong, she could tell by my body language and said what’s wrong. Well, I’ve been dropped by the Australian side and she sort of had a bit of a cry about that and she said, who’s your replacement and I said, well, that guy over there and Mark, was standing there again. And so she was happy again. So, it was sort of a tough moment for the family, but I gave Mark an opportunity and he did really well.

So, I guess in terms of your parents, they still really don’t mind whether it is you or Mark and they are happy that both of you are playing?

Yeah, I think so. It’s given them a real interest in watching cricket because they were never really into cricket before, they were more into tennis and squash and other sports but I’m sure they are really proud and probably sometimes a bit embarrassed by everything that goes around with having sons playing for Australia.

On a more serious note. Your brother did get into some financial sort of rigmarole a while back. Without getting into that incident, what role did you play? I mean, were you his support?

I think in that, I think you are referring to the bribery and the match fixing allegations Mark was involved in giving information on weather and pitch reports which was obviously a mistake and people made a lot worse mistakes and they’ve got way with it. I am not saying that is right, but we’ve all learned from that and moved on and I think it was something that he certainly regrets, but, I was there to support him and whenever he needs me I’m always there.

You have a nickname Tugga and I didn’t get it at first, it was Tugga-Waugh. Where did you get that from?

I think you’ve got the right words. It’s Tugga Waugh. I don’t know who gave it to me, but it was years ago.

I mean, does it reflect your personality?

I don’t think it really says too much about my personality. It’s just someone who gave me that name and it sort of stuck all these years.

How did you get your start in cricket professionally?

I think we are fortunate in Australia that we have plenty of opportunities we have good systems here when you get through school. You get recognized here if you have talent and you are certainly encouraged and I wanted to play great cricket, which I have played all my life and which was recognized by the NSW selectors and then I got picked for Australia. So, yeah, it’s probably the right place at the right time and a bit of luck. I really wanted to make cricket my life or cricket my job, so it’s obviously the determination to get there, but you’ve got to have things fall into place as well.

Did you ever think you would get as successful and as far as you have?

Not really. I think as a young kid in the backyard I have always dreamt of playing for Australia, but I wasn’t sure how I could achieve that and how I could do it. But once you’ve achieved that, I guess the sky is the a limit and you have to push yourself hard, but now when I look back I wouldn’t have dreamt that I’d played so many games for Australia and done so well.

What do you is the main quality of a good cricketer?

Probably resilience and lack of ego. There are probably two qualities that you need. Don’t get too carried away when it’s going well and don’t get too down when it’s not going your way. And I guess you’ve got to have vision and you’ve got to have belief in yourself and you’ve got to enjoy your teammates success because it is not always going to come your way and if you can’t handle the fact then it’s going to be a pretty lonely existence.

Who is your favorite Indian cricketer other than Sachin Tendulkar?

Everyone loves Tendulkar in India; he is obviously a great player. There are plenty of cricketers I admire in India. Rahul Dravid is an excellent player and a pretty good role model for kids. He’s pretty steady in what he does and does things the right way and he is very dedicated. I guess Srinath is an excellent quick ball for India. He’s another guy I sort of admire on the field, but they got many players that could be good role models for kids and that is obviously important, but Tendulkar is the man in India and probably throughout the world he’s the best player in the world.

Being a role model yourself, is that a lot of pressure on you and your life outside the field?

I don’t see it as a pressure, you just be yourself and if that happens to be something people like and respect that is great. You don’t want to go out and try to be someone else than yourself because that’ll come through, but you’ve obviously got responsibilities in my position and young kids look up to you and I’ve made my mistakes along the way and I’ve got plenty of them. I think you want to give off the young kids the difference between right and wrong and that’s important, if you can do that, I guess you are a role model.

And to show them I presume that you are human as well.

Yeah, and I think that has shown up pretty well, last year I have made plenty of mistakes and I got dropped from the Australian Cricket side and people see you can make mistakes, you are not infallible, but it’s more important how you come back from the set backs.

How did that make you feel to be dropped from the one-day?

I was a bit surprised and probably a little bit frustrated and annoyed at that time, but you’ve got to move on with things. I have accepted that now and I see it as a huge challenge to get back in there and there are not too many people out there who think I can make it back and that makes it more exciting because I think I can and I have always like the challenge and so that’s my next big goal.

At the age of 37.

I don’t see age as being that relevant in these things, I think it’s more what’s inside you, your commitment and whether you are still enjoying it. You might lose that edge when you are 20 years old and you might still have it at 40. So, I don’t see age as being any part of it.

What about the physical nature of the game, I know it is not as physical as Rugby obviously, but you know the older you get, you get more aches and pains and etc.

Well you are right there and I won’t disagree with that. But yeah, you’ve got to train hard and we have done that. Mark and myself in the last couple of years have trained really hard. We were up the fitness sessions. 10 years ago we didn’t do any fitness. These days, it’s 4 or 5 sessions a week and then you’ve got your playing commitment. You’ve got to recognize the fact that you’ve got to compete with 20 year olds and they can be very fit, so you’ve got to work harder.

Steve, obviously, team playing is very very important in your sport as well. How do you maintain the sort of team spirit when you are a star player yourself?

Ah, we’ve got plenty of star players, I don’t consider myself to be a star player, but yeah we really enjoy playing with each other and working hard together and wanting to be the best side of in the world and play our part in history. So, that’s important to the side, but we work hard for each other, enjoy each others success and we want to be the best and that’s what makes our side.

Also when you came in as a captain, you sort changed the culture of the team. When you used to travel, a lot of them stayed in the hotel room or something and you encouraged them to see the sights and things. Why?

Well, I think it’s important and it’s a great life experience to get there to see different people, and experience different cultures and see the sights and the sound and places you go to. We go to a lot of interesting places, which are much different than Australia. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean, they are all so different to Australia and I think it is important to relax, get away from cricket, take it off your mind sometimes and just meet the people and also learn about life, different people, different cultures and not just learn about cricket all the time.

Also the greeny, green baggy cap, if you think about. I mean that’s a change as well.

Yeah, the green cap is a bit of an icon in Australian sport and it’s something we all cherish and there have only been 350 people who have got a green baggy cap. I mean, we try to make it really special and something that the players really aspire to and there’s not many around and it’s great to wear it and I feel as a side we wear it all together in the first session of each game and I think it give the side a bit of aura and a bit of extra power and it can intimidate opposition sides. So, we see it almost as our secret weapon.

So, it’s another tactic?

Well, yeah, it’s all part of it. If you can get that sort of edge over your opponent by creating a bit of an aura. I think you should try to do it.

When you started, again looking back, many, many years ago, a side of obviously improving your game, were you welcomed by the old hats, by the old boys? Was it tough to make up your mark and to prove to them that ‘Hey, I’ve got the caliber to actually become a very good cricketer’?

When I first went in the side, it was a difficult situation because a lot of Australian players left on a rebel tour and some of the experienced players had retired. So, when I first came in as a young guy, it was a pretty unstable environment and everyone was really trying to survive themselves. The team wasn’t going very well and basically if you did well yourself, you could make the next game. So, there wasn’t a lot of help and there wasn’t a lot of, I guess, it wasn’t really a team together and you sort of had to fend for yourself a little bit. So, I think I was lucky to play in those couple of years because it made me realize, to be a successful side you’ve got to help each other out and work together. I am not saying that was wrong at the time, it was just factors came together and we weren’t a great side.

What is your toughest match to date?

There’s been probably many of those, I guess the World Cup semi final, that’s one that stands out straight away. Well, there was a lot riding on the game. We were in a pretty difficult position and we sort of came back from an almost no-win situation and ended up tying the game. Which meant we went through the finals. That was probably the toughest game, most pressure for me as a captain because I feel that every move I made was critical and crucial to the outcome of the game and towards the end it could have gone either way and we probably got a little lucky.

Give me sense of what is going on in the field. I mean, is there a lot of trash talk like a lot of verbal intimidation?

Well, they say there’s a lot of slugging in cricket, but I have seen a few games of baseball and other sports and it’s pretty timid, really, compared to that. There are a lot of mind games going on in the field and there is a little bit said, but it’s not said directly to the opposition, it’s more talking among ourselves and trying to put some the opposition player, maybe to get him to thinking about something he shouldn’t be thinking about, but it’s all a part of the game and it is a test of your character, not only your skill. Some people might not agree with that assessment of cricket, but I think that’s the way Australians have always played and that’s the way we play our best cricket.

Is it hard to control one’s temper?

It can be. I know from a bowling point of view, which I did quite a bit. That was why I often got my frustrations out and I sometimes did the wrong thing, but now I’m a batter it is a lot easier. So, I can understand bowlers getting frustrated, it’s a tough profession being a quick bowler, but you’ve got to tow the line, you’ve got to be respectful of what you can and can’t do on the field.

You are known as a pretty ruthless player and yet you donate to this children foundation, children who have leprosy in India. What made you get into charity work?

Charity has always interested me, particularly kids’ charities. I think in Australia we are really lucky to get plenty of opportunities and seeing the subcontinent, places like India, where there are millions of children who have really no real lifestyle opportunities, it makes you want to ‘Hey, can I help in it?’ There was an opportunity which came up a couple of years ago where I could help. I got involved in a charity as you say, children whose parents suffer from leprosy. And it’s a girls only charity I support and it’s just to give them some opportunities and life, take them out of leper colonies and out them in a stable environment where they can learn about education, have good health, good food and to feel good about themselves and have opportunities and it works really well.

There are obviously many opportunities out there, I mean even in Australia. How do you choose?

It is difficult. I support Camp Quality in Australia, which is children with leukemia, and that’s a foundation, which helps kids and their parents to forget about the troubles of the day, and gives them some sort of normal lifestyle, but it is difficult to choose. For me it is more about kids looking after kids and giving them opportunities. After that they can make up their choices in life. I think every kid deserves an opportunity about what life has to offer. I have seen a huge change in their demeanor and it’s just their attitude and the outlook on life for these kids from being in a situation, for example, a 7 or 8-year-old girl, and they’ve got to become prostitutes to earn money for their families. To learning a musical instruments and reading at school. So, for me it’s very satisfying to go there and see them so happy, when before they were so sad and in so terrible conditions.

Do you go there often?

I try to go there at least once a year. I have been there a couple of times over the last couple of years. Probably four or five times. I try to raise money in India, which makes it a bit easier to control, but I certainly have a lot of admiration for the people who run the organization. A guy called Reverend James Stevenson who has been there for 29 years now. He looks after the boys wing when I support the girls wing in a place called Udayan.

You also met Mother Teresa when she was alive there. What was it like? Was it somebody you idolize?

Yeah, I’ve read a lot about Mother Teresa, I’ve read a lot about her because she had always interested me and if I ever would have the chance, I always wanted to meet her and I had that opportunity in Calcutta and that was a great memory. I wouldn’t say that I am a very religious person, but meeting her, there was something very special about her. She was pretty frail, small and she came up and I had a few words to her. I didn’t really know what to say, but I just said, “Pleased to meet you”.

What would you say to Mother Teresa?

Well, I didn’t know. I didn’t have much of an idea and I was sort of a bit dumbstruck when I saw her, actually confronted with her, but she did have that calming influence. You could just feel there is something special about her. She had no real material possessions, but a person who dedicated the whole life to helping others. She’s a pretty amazing person. There are not that many people like that.

Did that change you at all? Did that change your attitude?

Well, I think it did in a way because to read about this lady and what she has done and just to see that material possessions didn’t mean anything to her. It’s a pretty difficult concept to most people to sort of grasp, that she was just caring for other people and that’s all she worried about and it sort of makes you take a step back and realize that if you are helping people, you are much better off than worrying about what clothes you are going to wear or what type of car you are driving.

True, true, true. 100,000 fans apparently turned up to watch you in Calcutta when you were playing there. I mean, was that pretty intimidating?

I think it’s exciting, that’s why we play sports, to play in front of big crowds and Calcutta is a great stadium. It’s one of the best places to play cricket. An in those five days, we had about 90,000 people everyday. So, it was a massive crowd and they are fanatical about cricket and in that situation as a player it is a great opportunity because you are under pressure and the crowd is obviously supporting India and if you do well there, that means all the sacrifice and hard work’s been worth while. I saw it as one of the great test matches that I have played in.

Do you think you are going to play in the World Cup next year?

In my heart, I do and I know a lot of people say that, but I really believe that fate has got something in store and I will play in that World Cup, but if I don’t, I want to make sure I gave myself every opportunity. I don’t want to sit back in ten years time and say, ‘Gee, I wish I would have done something different and had tried to make that side’. And I just see it as a great opportunity and as a great challenge to try to get back in there. You look at blokes like Michael Jordan who has retired for a couple of years and came back. It’s not impossible, but it’s going to be difficult and I’ll need a bit of luck and things to fall in place, but if you want it enough, you can make it happen.

Steve, What kind of legacy you know, may be not now but in the future would you like to leave. Not only for Australian sports as a sportsman, but also for cricket?

That’s a good question, difficult one. Legacy, I guess that anything is possible if you dream and aspire to it and to always give it your best. There are time when you can walk away and say this is too tough, but I think the greatest challenge is to fight back from adversity and show people that you can actually do it and in some ways to prove people wrong that write you off. But, really just to give your best and to have fun along the way and to learn.

Courtesy - CNN’s TALK ASIA

Interviews

Mail Cricket Editor