Waugh shoots as straight as ever

Asked about their readiness to face England and Pakistan, he rolled his eyes and admitted to slight apprehension.

Effectively, it seemed, the Aussies would have to play from memory. But they remembered quickly enough, first rolling over Pakistan in Cardiff on Saturday with murderous seven-runs-an-over efficiency. Then, even as the machine stuttered yesterday with some rusty fielding and ordinary bowling, they still clawed out a five-wicket victory.

England ran them close with their encouraging spirit but the difference was between a side which doesn't know how to win one-day games and another which cannot abide the possibility of losing them.

These one-day internationals come and go in a forgettable blur. If you lose one, no problem, there will be another along in a minute. Only Waugh's Aussies don't believe that. Every game seems to be treated as a crusade.

Yes, it's down to ability but also to self-discipline, pride and desire. Under Waugh, they have won 59 of 93 internationals, an extraordinary ratio of success in the lottery which is the limited overs game.

Stewart claimed that England, depleted by six injuries, were still an inexperienced and developing outfit - which is really putting a spin on it when you think the team on duty at Bristol included well-tried thirty-somethings like himself, Robert Croft, Alan Mullally, Nick Knight, Darren Gough and Mark Ealham.

The deflating but unmentioned reality was that the Australians, even when not at their best and without injured fast bowlers Damien Fleming and Jason Gillespie, could jettison the world's top one-day batsman, Michael Bevan, and still prevail.

"We've got 16 squad players. We juggle them around and I believe any side we put out will be as good as the next one," explained Waugh.

Alarmingly, he is probably right. From one to 11, they seem to contribute - yesterday there was Mark Waugh's effective containing spell, Ponting's rare verve and timely blows from Damien Martyn and Andrew Symonds to keep the target within reach.

Then, with the Aussies tottering slightly with 11 still needed off seven balls, Ian Harvey clouted Ben Hollioake for a steepling off-driven six. Game over, effectively.

Waugh sees in the born-again Hollioake and Middlesex's Owais Shah a pair for the future for England but it is easy to be generous when you can boast so many players, like the unsung Harvey, who have long since graduated as match-winners. "We could create more chances in the field and, bowling wise, we're a long way off peaking," said Waugh chillingly.

Brett Lee is getting fitter and faster, Glenn McGrath meaner and moodier and Warne ticks over like a time bomb. Ponting has already exploded and how long before Adam Gilchrist follows suit?

All the time, the captain rolls on remorselessly. "I've played 300 of these games," he said after adding another notch to the legend. "So I must have learned something."

England certainly have. It is that before Waugh hobbles off into the sunset with his walking stick, he is probably going to consign them to one more long, unforgiving and, perhaps, fruitless Ashes summer.