Steve Waugh reveals most respectable opponent & it's NOT Rahul Dravid or Sachin Tendulkar

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh is widely regarded as one of the finest Test batsmen from his country. Quite recently, he was involved in an interview with Sky Sports where he recalled Australia’s 1995 tour of West Indies. In the interview, he spoke about his double century in the series-deciding fourth Test at Jamaica and revealed why he holds utmost respect for former West Indies pacer Curtly Ambrose. He also went in detail about the famous ‘Waugh vs Ambrose 1995’ rivalry that transpired during the course of the 1995 series.

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Waugh vs Ambrose 1995: Steve Waugh recalls his famous 1995 series vs WI

Speaking with Michael Atherton, Steve Waugh said that Curtly Ambrose was a “great bowler” and an “incredible adversary”. The 168-Test veteran also described the pacer as his most “respected opponent” because of the mind games he used to play on the field. According to Steve Waugh, Curtly Ambrose never said anything to batsmen and that made it actually worse than sledging. Waugh admitted that the pacer often got him to think about whether he was trying to hurt him or dismiss him. Further praising Curtly Ambrose, he said he always bowled on a good length at will and his short balls were always on the throat.                     

Both Steve Waugh and Curtly Ambrose had a few exchange of words during the third Test of the 1995 series. The right-handed batsman replied back in style in the fourth Test with a classy knock of 200, an innings that remained his highest score till the day of his retirement. Steve Waugh described his 200-run knock and the ‘Waugh vs Ambrose 1995’ rivalry as the “highlight of his career”. He said that his innings came against the “best team in the world” at the time, who had not lost a series in 15 years.

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Steve Waugh Udayan

Since his retirement in early 2004, Steve Waugh has been partaking in charity, mostly through Udayan. Udayan is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which was founded in 1970 by Englishman James Stevens. Even though the NGO has been around for a while, the Steve Waugh Udayan association helped it gain popularity in the country. The NGO is based at Barrackpore near Kolkata and the former Australian captain’s association with Udayan has led to the education and training of 60 leprosy-affected girls. According to reports, the Steve Waugh Udayan partnership began in the late 1990s and the cricketer donates about ₹25 lakh every year.

Many years ago, the 1999 World Cup-winning captain stated that he decided to indulge in charitable activities after a meeting with Mother Teresa inspired him to do so. Steve Waugh has often stated that Udayan as a place is where he feels like he's at his “second home” and revealed the boys there always refer to him as “Steve Da”.

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Image credits: CAB Twitter