A friend in need: Waugh bats for Buchanan

On a two-day visit to Kolkata,Waugh today dropped in at Udayan,a home for children of leprosy patients in Barrackpore.

Questions on cricket and Knight Riders were inevitable,and they came thick and fast. Waugh,however,stood by his former coach.

“It’s not fair to single out Buchanan. A cricket team is a collective responsibility. It’s team effort that sees you through. And when a team is in crisis it’s everybody’s responsibility to pull it out of the rut. KKR is not doing well,but they must keep on fighting. They can turn the corner if they stay united in their fight,” Waugh said. “Buchanan is very good at team management… a manager who brings in unity to a side,” he added. He also supported Brendon McCullum as the choice for KKR skipper,saying that the Kiwi was an “automatic choice” as he is very much active in international cricket.

As a player and rival captain,his relationship with Sourav Ganguly had been ambivalent. But the Aussie respects Ganguly’s determination and fighting qualities. He believes that the Bengal left-hander will return to form soon. “Sourav is a tough cookie,a fighter. He is very resilient and will play his part in this IPL. He will get back to form soon,” Waugh opined.

Not always hunky dory between John & Shane
About Shane Warne’s captaincy,Waugh however chose to remain non-committal. Ian Chappell once described Warne as “the best captain Australia never had”. Waugh,however,preferred to shoulder-arm the question.

“It’s very different leading in a Twenty20 championship and leading your country in the longer versions of the game,” said the 43-year-old,who was preferred over Warne to the hot seat after Mark Taylor. He also recalled Warne’s strained relationship with Buchanan. “John and Shane always treaded different ways. It was never that they exchanged Christmas greetings.”

The legendary cricketer doesn’t want to read too much into Australia’s “temporary slump” and believes that Australia will retain the World Cup in 2011.

Philanthropist Waugh
Back to Waugh the philanthropist,and the inmates at Udayan were ecstatic after a meeting with their beloved ‘Steve da’. Clad in a grey T-shirt and shorts,he played cricket with the children,took pictures and then served lunch to the inmates.

His association with Udayan goes back to 1998. Over the years,he has been a pillar of support to this organisation.

“I love going to Udayan. The kids there are fantastic,and it’s so peaceful and tranquil. I like seeing the smiling faces of the kids. Udayan,I think,is great for the human spirit,” Waugh said.

Tomorrow,he will take part in a clean-up drive in the Kabardanga area in the southern fringes of the city,an area just a few kilometers off Ganguly’s residence in Behala.

He would lead the drive to champion a cause that was started at the Dhakuria Lakes on Sunday.

“The canal is in a very bad state,and a part of it runs through the Missionaries of the Word,a home for children of sex-workers. Steve is our patron and he has agreed to take up the cause,” said a member of the Calcutta Foundation. The organisation is leading the clean-up programme.