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Rediff.com  » Sports » Waugh sets sights on Gavaskar's 34 centuries

Waugh sets sights on Gavaskar's 34 centuries

July 28, 2003 00:01 IST
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Another Test match brought another bagful of records for Australia captain Steve Waugh, who, on Sunday, as the game's most-capped player scored his 32nd hundred in the second Test against Bangladesh.

Waugh's 156 not out in Australia's 556 for four declared helped to put the home side within six wickets of a 2-0 series sweep against the visitors.

It also gave the 38-year-old Waugh the record of being the only player to score 150 against the other nine Test-playing nations, adding to his mark in last week's first Test of a world record 37 wins as skipper.

Waugh's second successive hundred put him outright second on the all-time list, behind only India's Sunil Gavaskar with 34 centuries.

Australia's total, boosted by Darren Lehmann's 177 and Martin Love's 100 not out, was the highest conceded by Bangladesh in their 21-Test history.

"There's always a chance (of making 35 hundreds). It doesn't really matter what I set, Sachin Tendulkar (with 31) is going to waltz past that one anyway," Waugh told a news conference on Sunday.

"I know once I got a hundred today I was pretty focused on getting 150. I knew I wouldn't get another chance.

"I'm pleased with that. It's nice to have that record," added Waugh, the game's second-leading run-scorer.

Waugh, who has overcome a form lapse to hit four hundreds since January, said he wanted to prove a point to himself after constant media speculation during the 2002-03 Ashes series that his career might be over.

"Really I just wanted to be positive. If I was going to finish up last year, I wanted to go out on my terms and that was playing some shots," Waugh said.

"Perhaps that may have released some pressure and I've gone out there and just tried to play the ball on its merits.

"I knew I was good enough to play for Australia still and I wanted to prove that to myself and I wanted to come back and show people."

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Source: REUTERS
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