Steve Waugh dumped from ODI squad

Stephen Waugh will not be selected in the Australian one-day international team to tour South Africa and Zimbabwe in March, it was announced today.

The decision to omit Waugh from the one-day team was taken by the National Selection panel of Trevor Hohns (Chairman), Allan Border, David Boon and Andrew Hilditch.

ACB Chief Executive, James Sutherland, said that in making the decision the selectors were meeting their obligation to put their judgement on the needs of the team ahead of all other considerations.

"The selectors have one primary obligation to Australian cricket and that is to pick the team that in their judgement is the best side to represent our country. As difficult as it might be, they have taken this decision to fulfil this obligation," said Mr Sutherland.

Since making his debut in the shortened form of the game in December 1985, Waugh has made 325 one-day appearances, the last of them in the VB Series clash against South Africa in Perth on 3 February, an Australian record.

Only India's Mohammad Azharuddin (334 matches) has played more one-day matches, with Australia's next most capped one-day player Border with 273 appearances.

Only one other player, in addition to Waugh and Azharuddin - Pakistan's Wasim Akram (323) - has topped 300 one-day matches for his country.

Stephen Waugh said that he was disappointed by the decision but would be working to regain his place in the team.

"Of course this is an extremely disappointing decision. The challenge for me is to now ensure that the Australian Test team wins the series against South Africa and to play well enough to force my way back into the one-day team," said Waugh.

Chairman of Selectors, Trevor Hohns, said it had been a tough decision to make.

"Making this decision has been extremely difficult and it is not one that anyone likes but as selectors our responsibility is to pick what we believe to be the best side for Australia. We believe that there are now players ahead of Steve for one-day selection," said Mr Hohns.

"After reflecting on the VB Series, we decided that for the one-day side to continue to be successful and to prepare for the 2003 World Cup, it was time to make this change.

"There is no ideal time to announce a decision like this, but by making the change now we hope that it will give the new captain a chance to step up and grow into the role well before next February.

"It will also allow us to consult with that person so that he can have some input into the side that contests the one-day series in South Africa beginning next month."

In announcing the decision, Mr Sutherland also highlighted Stephen Waugh's contribution to the one-day team.

"Stephen has made an outstanding contribution to one-day cricket in this country as one-day captain over the past four years and has played a major part in building Australia's record in this form of the game."

Waugh has captained Australia in 106 limited-overs matches with 67 wins, 35 losses, three ties and one no-result. Only six players have led their country more often in one-day cricket.

With the bat, Waugh's 7569 runs at 32.90 is the second highest aggregate by an Australian player, eclipsed only by his brother Mark, who has 8500 runs at 39.35 from 244 matches.

Stephen also has 195 wickets to his credit in one-day internationals, leaving him 18th on the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in that form of the game. Of Australians, only Shane Warne (268) and Glenn McGrath (226) are ahead of him.

Waugh also has two World Cup winning medals to his credit, first as part of Border's side that beat England in Calcutta in 1987, then as captain when he led the team to a final win over Pakistan at Lord's in 1999.

That 1999 tournament also included Waugh's highest score in one-day internationals, an unbeaten 120 against South Africa at Headingley in a must-win game for his side, one of three one-day hundreds he has scored.

The selectors will as soon as practicable recommend a captain and vice-captain to the Australian Cricket Board's 14 Directors while the squad for the seven one-day internationals to be played against South Africa starting in Johannesburg on Friday 22 March will be named in due course.

Waugh will depart for South Africa with the rest of the Test squad on Thursday 14 February.

ACB Media Release

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Mail Cricket Editor