Skip to main content

On Mark Waugh

The thing about Mark Waugh was the fact that he never looked tired. He had this air of nonchalance, a languid grace about him in whatever he did on the cricket field. He made the game look ridiculously simple.
He was probably the most freakish fielder in the entire game at his peak. Jonty they say was the best but he was forever hustling. Mark Waugh was always there and had an uncanny sense of where the ball would be. He made catching look ridiculously simple and I don't recall a single instance where I saw the ball fumble in his hands. I think all Indians will remember the catch he took to dismiss VVS Laxman in the second innings in the epic 2001 series where Laxman walked away absolutely stunned after a ferocious pull he had hit was pulled out of thin air at short mid wicket by Mark Waugh.
His numbers are not as good as they could be but some of the most extraordinary things he did on the field were never recorded. His ground fielding when he would swoop in on the ball and no matter how uneven the field would collect it in a single go without a fumble and seemingly no worry in the world, his penchant for pulling of catches when they had no right to be catches are things that cricket statistics(at least so far) have not captured.
While batting, at his best, he was a sight for the gods. Wristy and Sinuous, his flicks of the pads made him an UnAussie batsman if ever there was one. He was great on the on side but it was on the off side that he was decidedly more assured. His 138 on debut was played with such nervelessness and ease that it would put test veterans to shame. I also remember the three sublime hundreds he hit during the 1996 world cup. His batting made you doubt that Mark and Steve were brothers. Mark Waugh was as fluid as Steve was gritty.
Labels:

Comments

Nana said…
I totally agree with you Kappa, he had freakish reflexes on the field.I searched a lot to find some of his videos but somehow couldn't find many. On a funnier note, this same excuse pakis give to prove inzi >>> Sachin (his innings not recorded lol). That being said you will hardly find a "bad" Oz fielder being born athletic, most of them are/were live wires on field Taylor, Ponting, symonds to name a few, probably thats why he is underrated. Even during IPL you take out Oz players and you will get a slogfest of dull potbellied mediocre athletes. I wonder if Inzi was in Oz he could have played for them, i have never seen out of shape Oz cricketer in my life.
July 25, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An ode to Hall 1

This goes out to Hall 1, the hostel where all the 4th year students of IIT Kanpur live. Indeed this hostel serves as a meeting ground between familiar foes some of who go on to become friends. A lot of factors make Hall 1 what it is. It acquires a mythic quality right from the first year when juniors are often threatened with “Aaj raat hall 1 main chal”. The seniors who live in Hall 1 seem to have a totally different existence as compared to the rest of the campus. On a visit to the hostel in the first year all one hears is the constant swearing, and sees everyone in shorts or in suits. Legends surround Hall 1 and in our first year the stories we hear are of Hall 1 and none other. Indeed Hall 1 residents perpetuate this myth as well acting as if they are the scariest beings on the campus. Indeed the fear is such that if a fresher goes to Hall 1 they are not expected to come back. There is something about Hall 1 that separates it from the rest of the Halls. For starters, Hall 1 has
8 comments
Read more

Places to eat in Kanpur

Our real exploration of Kanpur began in our 5th year when we had our stipend to spend so hopefully this article will prove helpful to all the foodies out there. Surprisingly(and I really mean this) there are a number of terrific places to eat in Kanpur. Hopefully this article will prove helpful to many who are looking forward to spend their stipends. By far the best way to reach places to eat in Kanpur is to catch the bus that the institute provides. The bus runs everyday(except Sunday) at 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm. The bus returns at around 10:15 pm. Murgi(Our food and snacks Coordinator, every wing should have one) always takes the phone number of the conductor so that he can stay updated about where the bus is and so that the return is convenient. The bus service is really a life saver and unless you have a bike should be the first option. It is also better to roam during weekdays than weekends simply because there is lesser ruckus everywhere. Going to a restaurant on a weekend is an ab
19 comments
Read more

The best of Paul Graham

Paul Graham is a startup incubator. He also happens to write essays which are really really good. In general I wish I had them read them a lot earlier. I have been reading his essays for a while now. Here are some extracts which I liked and so it begins. Addictive things have to be treated as if they were sentient adversaries—as if there were a little man in your head always cooking up the most plausible arguments for doing whatever you're trying to stop doing. If you leave a path to it, he'll find it. And my main computer is now freed for work. If you try this trick, you'll probably be struck by how different it feels when your computer is disconnected from the Internet. It was alarming to me how foreign it felt to sit in front of a computer that could only be used for work, because that showed how much time I must have been wasting. From Disconnecting Distraction How do you avoid copying the wrong things? Copy only what you genuinely like. That would have sav
Post a Comment
Read more