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Steve Waugh, the cricketer, the gentleman and the charity work
Tuesday, 27 February 2007 - 12:43 AM SL Time |  | |
Not many of us heard cricketers for their greatness in all round aspects. I mean batting, bowling, fielding and after all the gentle character within. Steve Waugh no doubt hails as one of the cricketing legends as well as a gentleman for his all round humanitarian works.
First look at his cricketing stats;
Batting and fielding averages
class mat inns no runs hs ave
Tests 168 260 46 10927 200 51.06
ODIs 325 288 58 7569 120* 32.90
First
class 356 551 88 24052 216* 51.94
List A 436 393 81 11764 140* 37.70
Bowling averages
class mat balls runs wkts bbi bbm ave
Tests 168 7805 3445 92 5/28 8/169 37.44
ODIs 325 8883 6761 195 4/33 4/33 34.67
First
class 356 17428 8155 249 6/51 32.75
List A 436 11245 8607 257 4/32 4/32 33.49
No doubt he has proven that he is one of the top cricketers in the world with an average of well over 50 runs an inning and 92 wickets in Tests. Beside he was the most successive Australian captain so far thanks largely to some of the world class players he had with him.
Now, cricket aside he had another life which is charity work; in an article published online he was quoted how he tries to bring out those helpless kids of India to provide better life.
When Steve Waugh first saw the streets of downtown Mumbai, he was amazed. Even for a kid born and raised in Sydney`s rough and tumble west, nothing could prepare him for the confronting sights of beggars, people without limbs and children, all scavenging for money.
Nothing affected him more deeply, though, than to see young children sleeping on street corners with rats running over them. He could not get used to the smell of the city, the atrocities or the scorned left to die.
For years during Australian tours he felt overwhelmed and helpless. The opportunity, however, to meet with noted humanitarian Mother Teresa added a fresh perspective. Here was a tiny, frail lady, bent over with arthritis, slowly shuffling around, oblivious to her own ills and championing the welfare of others. `There was a calming aura about her,` Waugh said. `When you were in her presence you definitely felt more serene and peaceful.`
Of all the celebrity encounters he had enjoyed, from the Queen to Nelson Mandela and Sir Elton John, this was by far the most important and powerful. Just as thousands of others had gained strength from shaking Mother Teresa`s hand and receiving her saintly blessings, so did Waugh. Now, in places like India where cricketers are feted like movie stars, Waugh has a godlike status and not only for his deeds with cricket`s world champions.
In Calcutta, for example, Waugh is a hero for the masses as patron of the Udayan Children`s Fund, which is assisting deprived children with leprosy. He spearheaded a $A250,000 fund-raiser which is allowing 44 young girls to live for a year in Udayan, away from the seat of infection ? their homes ? and in healthy, positive and caring circumstances.
`When I was back in India recently, I went in for a photo with these 44 young girls, who had all come from leper colonies,` Waugh said. `All of them wanted to come up and just touch me. Their family life was so terrible, they were desperate for affection. It makes you feel good to know that in some small way, you`re helping these kids.`
One of Waugh`s dreams is for an entire new wing to be built at Udayan, allowing 250 girls to be housed, counselled and educated so they, too, have a chance of a healthier and more rewarding life. Already there is a boy`s wing, but land is scarce and very costly. `It`s a big process,` Waugh says. `The most needy kids have to be selected and teachers employed for them. But it is so very rewarding. You can see the kid`s lives changing in front of you. You can`t put a price on that. Achievements on the sporting field are great, but after all this is only a game. When you help people out, realistically it`s more important.`
Waugh says his travels, especially to poverty stricken areas such as the Barrackpore leper colony in Calcutta, Kingston`s Boy`s Town and the black township of Soweto in South Africa, are a disturbing, impossible-to-ignore reminder of the world`s imbalances. In Soweto, for example, many families live in ramshackle tin sheds hardly bigger than an average sized garage. Yet just an hour away is Sun City, the millionaire`s playground.
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JRJayawardena
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26 Feb 2007 18:46:20 GMT Report for Abuse
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Steve Waugh I believe one of the coolest and calmest of cricketers that the Aussies produced and very rightly his activities other than cricket pays a fitting tribute to this young man from down under.
JRJ |
tamilcanuck
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26 Feb 2007 19:35:50 GMT Report for Abuse
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you dropped the WC
apparently Steve told that to Herchelle Gibbs in 99. dont know if its true. |
JRJayawardena
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28 Feb 2007 17:03:00 GMT Report for Abuse
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Priya,
may be the left one?
The left one; the tallest of the lot.
Sorry for the picture quality but I cannot make it more clear due to the size of that picture. The one in the middle is the cherry blossom!! :)
JRJ |
MarkLevinson
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28 Feb 2007 17:40:34 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Funny thing is you don't look 43 year on that dude:):):) |
JRJayawardena
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28 Feb 2007 17:49:37 GMT Report for Abuse
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Priya,
Fun land...cherry blosson land.
Yeah, she's such a gem and we are best of best pals. I cannot say more. On the right is another Jap chap who is also cool and he knows my intentions and had been very supportive, kind of miss that now I must say, thats life I guess :(
Guess sayonara to all that stuff.
Mark,
you don't look 43
Hey, what are you talking buddy, who said Im 43? I just stepped into 'Hathalis Endiriya' and fit as a fiddle with some cool beer and nice food :)
JRJ |
pharoah
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28 Feb 2007 23:28:07 GMT Report for Abuse
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you dropped the WC
apparently Steve told that to Herchelle Gibbs in 99. dont know if its true
steve waugh did not actually say this, even though it was big talk at the time. he actually said 'did you realise you have lost the match for your team' during the super-six match. that innings though was one of the best i have seen from him, showed that he was one of the greatest players when under pressure to perform |
Berty
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1 Mar 2007 09:21:31 GMT Report for Abuse
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I do not think Steve Waugh was a stylish batsman like his brother Mark but he fights hard and stays at the crease and a great accumulator of runs. I won't call him a shrewed captain!!
He is doing great wonders in Calcutta and god bless him
in the field he was accused of being the worst sledger!! |
JRJayawardena
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5 Mar 2007 02:08:36 GMT Report for Abuse
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Berty,
I do not think Steve Waugh was a stylish batsman like his brother Mark but he fights hard and stays at the crease and a great accumulator of runs. I won't call him a shrewed captain!!
You have fair reasons for your points. In fact I wasn't a great fan of his batting but I know he's bloody difficult to dislodge when he settles there. Also I believe he had one huge team with world class players which in retrospect paved for his captaining success. he as you said has been there when aussies were in trouble, but his younger sibling always stole the show. I also thought he was a conservative batsman compared to Mark.
JRJ |
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