The former Australia captain Steve Waugh, who represented his country for better parts of two decades has a piece of advice for the current skipper of the Aussie team, Steves Smith ahead of the series opener in Gabba.
Otherwise, an expressive person Waugh advised Smith to keep a check on his emotions. Hand’s on the head after a missed opportunity, or disappointed look after a fielding miss is a trademark of Smith’s Test captaincy. On the contrary, Waugh was cool and stood eye-to-eye with Curtly Ambrose without raising an eyebrow and steering his team to victory. It was one of the issues Smith agreed upon after Australia’s tour of India earlier this year.
“The only advice I’d say for Steve this series is maybe not shown so much emotion when you’re in the field. The camera is always on you as a captain. If you’re negative in your body language or you’re kicking the ground, it’s going to be magnified 100 times. The only thing I’d say to him is to keep your emotions in check a bit more.” Steve Waugh said while talking to cricket.com.au.
Waugh, who had won eight times against England including two as a captain asked Smith to be aware of how things can quickly change when he takes on the field for the fiercest rivalry in world cricket.
However, Waugh agreed that it is never easy to control your emotions on the cricket field. Talking about how he used to handle his feelings, the 52-year-old cricketer admitted he used to talk to himself when someone missed a catch or bowlers were not up to the mark. It’s all about staying calm and composed even if the water is boiling inside you.
“You’ve always got to stay in charge because people look at you for guidance here; they look for you to lead the way.”
Waugh further counselled that with experience, a skipper develops a greater understanding of everything that comes along. People become more aware of their emotions. Waugh mentioned that Smith needs to take the defeat firmly as all the criticism will end up on him.
“When you’re going well you’re the best, when you’re not going so well you’re the worst captain,” Waugh, who played 168 Test matches for his country, said.
This Ashes series will be a defining moment for Smith, as a captain as he has the opportunity to put his stamp on Australian cricket which commences from November 23rd.
“For your team to have that identity which probably right now they’re probably lacking a bit, people don’t really associate this Australian team as being a unit that’s been together for a long time. It’s a chance to stabilize Australian cricket,” the veteran signed off.
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