CAIRNS, Australia, 28 July 2003 — Australia’s evergreen captain Steve Waugh broke more records yesterday as his world champion side moved in for the kill on the third day of the second cricket Test against Bangladesh here.
Waugh, 38, followed up his 100 not out in the opening Test in Darwin a week earlier with an unconquered 156 as Australia waltzed to 556 for four wickets — the highest innings total against Bangladesh in their brief time in Test ranks.
Batting second time, facing a huge 261-run deficit, Bangladesh showed commendable spirit until late in the day when they lost three quick wickets. They reached stumps with a rocky 106 for four wickets, still needing another 155 runs to make the home country return to the batting crease.
Together are Sanwar Hossain (six not out) and Alok Kapali (10 not out) as Bangladesh face the prospect of another big drubbing a week after being thrashed by an innings and 132 runs in Darwin.Bangladesh began their second knock solidly, reaching a promising 87 for one wicket before the dismissal of opener Hannan Sarker (55) triggered a collapse in which three wickets toppled for as many runs. Leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, who tormented the visitors with a first innings 5-77, was again the bogeyman, snapping up 2-27 from 11 pin-point overs. Australia declared their run-fest just before tea.
Waugh closed the innings immediately after his fifth-wicket partner, Martin Love, had completed his maiden Test century. Love, desperately needing a good performance after his first-ball duck in Darwin, scored his century — his first in Tests — off 154 balls, hitting seven fours.
But it was Waugh’s day and when he brought up his 150 in the second session off the bowling of Mohammad Ashraful, he became the first player to score 150 against all other Test nations.
Last week, with his 100 not out in the first Test, Waugh joined South Africa’s Gary Kirsten as the only players to have made centuries against the nine other Test nations.
Kirsten, though, does not have 150s against India, Pakistan and New Zealand. Waugh has made 14 Test scores of 150-plus, with four against England and two against the West Indies. In this match, he caressed 17 boundaries while negotiating 291 balls. In another milestone yesterday, Waugh moved to second on the all-time list of Test cricket’s century-makers with his 32nd hundred.
Waugh needs two more centuries to equal India’s retired master, Sunil Gavaskar, who holds the world record mark of 34. Waugh, who has plundered four centuries this year, is now one century ahead of Indian rival Sachin Tendulkar. “It doesn’t really matter what I set,” Waugh said. “Sachin is going to waltz past it anyway.
As the Bangladesh bowlers toiled manfully, Australia yesterday lost only the wicket of Darren Lehmann, who thumped 177.
Lehmann, resuming on 156 after making a century in the final session on the second day, lasted only 38 minutes, but that was enough for him to post his highest Test score, bettering the 160 he made against the West Indies in April.
In one murderous assault, he blasted four consecutive boundaries off medium-pacer Anwar Hossain, finishing with 22 blistering fours.
