SYDNEY, 28 November 2003 — Captain-in-waiting Ricky Ponting yesterday warned India the Australian team would be highly motivated to send skipper Steve Waugh out a winner in their four-Test cricket series starting next week.
Waugh made for an emotional home series against Saurav Ganguly’s tourists when he announced on Wednesday that he would retire after the fourth and final Test in home-town Sydney in January.
Vice-captain Ponting said Waugh’s team would do all in its power to ensure that the 164-Test veteran left international cricket as a winner. “It’s going to be sad...looking at the Australian batting line-up (after the series) without ‘S Waugh’ in it,” Ponting said yesterday.
“I must admit it’s going to be a motivating factor for me to have a big (southern) summer and the rest of the guys to make sure he goes out on the best way possible.
“This series is really going to be a celebration of what Steve has achieved over 18 years of international cricket. “Sending him off on a good note is what it is all about and I know the guys will be extremely pumped to do that.” While Waugh has endorsed one-day skipper Ponting to succeed him as Test leader, Ponting said he did not want to take anything for granted.
However, he agreed observing Waugh’s methods at close hand had helped prepare him for the job. “I think Steve has groomed us all...no doubt I have learned a lot from Steve from the way he prepares himself to the way he plays out in the middle and the way he leads the team,” he said. “If it (Test captaincy) does happen to come my way I’d like to make it a really smooth transition to make sure the things I know are important to the team will carry on.”
