Cricket: Play-to-rules Waugh now wishes us well

By Richard Boock

LONDON- Steve Waugh's gall plumbed new depths yesterday when he wished New Zealand well in the second round of the cricket World Cup.

Only days after attempting to manipulate a game so New Zealand would be eliminated from the world one-day championship, the Australian captain was apparently attempting to suggest that cricket was the winner.

His side's go-slow against the West Indies on Sunday was designed to have New Zealand eliminated from the competition on run-rate - a scheme which ultimately failed in all respects except for attracting widespread derision, although his Greg Chappell impersonation ("it's in the rules") at least provided some comic relief.

As it happened, a mixture of the Aussies' dodgy maths and New Zealand's strong form against Scotland meant the West Indies took the early trip home instead, leaving Waugh's team languishing at the bottom of the Super Six league without a point. "Good luck to them [New Zealand]," he said yesterday. "It was good play by them, and that's what it's all about."

Apparently it had not occurred to him that if the tournament was all about "good play," as he said, then what happened against the West Indies the other day perhaps fell into a different, and somewhat smellier category. Australia were booed off Old Trafford by the crowd after taking 78 balls to score 19 runs, eight of which were gifted through wides and no-balls.

A sign seen later at the Grange ground in Edinburgh, where New Zealand sealed their Super Six future, read "Like Australians, we too have our Convictions."