HOVE, England – Steve Waugh is working around the clock in a determinedbid to overcome his torn calf muscle in time for the fifth and finalAshes Test against England at The Oval
Will Swanton10-Aug-2001HOVE, England – Steve Waugh is working around the clock in a determinedbid to overcome his torn calf muscle in time for the fifth and finalAshes Test against England at The Oval.Waugh, 36, taken from the field on a stretcher during Australia’sseven-wicket triumph at Trent Bridge last weekend, threw away hiscrutches two days later to the astonishment of his team-mates.Desperate to play one last Test in England before retiring in a coupleof years, the Australian captain is having up to eight hours ofultrasound, hydrotherapy, bike work and massage every day.England batsman Graham Thorpe took seven weeks to return from a pulledcalf at the beginning of the summer but Waugh, with two tears to hisleft calf, is desperate to make a more hasty recovery.He will skip this weekend’s trip to Belfast to have more treatment withteam physiotherapist Errol Alcott in Birmingham before linking with thesquad in Leeds on Sunday night.The first Test starts in Leeds next Thursday.”My priority is to get right again and I really don’t have a time frameon that,” Waugh said.”I’m in the best hands in the business in Errol Alcott and by being hereI’m ensuring I get intense treatment, plus pool and bike work.”I have to be cautious about my chances of returning for The Oval but atthe same time I’m maintaining an optimistic outlook.”When I did the injury I gave myself a nought per cent chance of beingback for The Oval and while I’ve improved since then, I still have togive myself only a tiny chance of being right.”Alcott gave a similarly non-committal assessment but refused to discountthe possibility of Waugh making a miracle recovery.Adam Gilchrist will lead Australia in the fourth Test at Headingley.”Steve is having constant treatment and doing everything possible withinthe boundaries of what we will allow to make as quick a recovery as hecan,” said Alcott.”He’s got a huge mountain in front of him, but if there’s anyone willingto try and climb it, it is him.”He just wants to do all the treatment possible and see what happens.”He’ll do what we tell him every day, put in the work.”That’s all he can do.”He has improved, but there are two tears and there’s only so much youcan achieve in such a short time frame.”Asked if Waugh was a genuine chance of playing at The Oval from August23, Alcott said: “I wouldn’t like to say.”Time is obviously the factor here – there’s very little when you lookat it realistically.”But he is a tough man and it takes a brave one to write him off tooquickly.”Australia travels to Belfast on Saturday morning for a one-day gameagainst Ireland on Sunday.The second day of the three-day game against Sussex today was wrecked byrain.Only 13 overs were bowled as Australia reached 2-86 in reply to theSussex first innings of 4(dec)-355.Michael Slater and Mark Waugh hammered 67 runs from the brief day,reaching 46 and 32 respectively from their overnight scores of 16 andnought.More rain is forecast.