Editing Steve Waugh (section)

===Failure in India===

The only significant result that Australia had failed to achieve during Waugh's international career was victory in a Test series in India. Waugh began calling this the "Final Frontier"<ref>{{cite news |title=Waugh relishes challenge |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/1171510.stm |work=BBC Sport|date=15 February 2001 |access-date=22 July 2008 }}</ref> as Australia had not won there since 1969–70.<ref>{{Harvnb|Knight|2003|pp=268–271}}</ref> Australia easily won the First Test at [[Mumbai]] by ten wickets to extend the winning sequence to 16.<ref name="k322">{{Harvnb|Knight|2003|p=322}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title =1st Test: India v Australia at Mumbai, 27 February 3&nbsp;March 2001 Ball-by-Ball commentary |url= http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2000-01/AUS_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/AUS_IND_T1_27FEB-03MAR2001_BBB-COMMS.html |publisher=ESPNcricinfo |access-date =28 February 2007}}</ref> India, looked set for defeat in the Second Test at [[Eden Gardens]] in [[Kolkata]] after conceding a first innings lead of 274.<ref name="k322"/> Waugh top-scored in the first innings with 110.<ref name="testlist"/> Waugh chose to enforce the follow-on, the only time that Australia had chosen to do so for more than five years.<ref name="auslist"/> However, [[V. V. S. Laxman|VVS Laxman]] (281) and [[Rahul Dravid]] (180)<ref name="k322"/> batted for the entire fourth day's play and set Australia a target of 384 on a dusty, spinning wicket. The Australians were unable to cope with the spin of [[Harbhajan Singh]] on the final day, and became only the third team to lose a Test after enforcing the follow-on.<ref>{{cite web| title = 2nd Test: India v Australia at Calcutta 11–15&nbsp;March 2001| url= http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2000-01/AUS_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/AUS_IND_T2_11-15MAR2001.html |publisher=ESPNcricinfo |access-date =28 February 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Incredible India defeat Australia| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_depth/2001/india_v_australia/1221637.stm| work=BBC Sport| date=15 March 2001| access-date=2 March 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283938.html |title=Tests – Victory after Following-On|publisher=ESPNcricinfo| access-date=3 March 2007}}</ref> Starting the final Test well, Australia's batting collapsed on the second morning, losing 6/26 after Waugh became the sixth batsman to be given out [[handled the ball]]—he pushed a ball from Harbhajan away from the stumps after being hit on the pads.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/275285.html| title=Tests – Unusual Dismissals|publisher=ESPNcricinfo| access-date=3 March 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Indian batsmen on top| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_depth/2001/india_v_australia/1229028.stm| work=BBC Sport| date=19 March 2001| access-date=2 March 2007}}</ref> Waugh's pair of 47s was not enough as Harbhajan finished with 15 wickets in the match to lead India to a two-wicket win in another thrilling finish.<ref name="testlist"/><ref>{{Harvnb|Knight|2003|p=323}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = 3rd Test: India v Australia at Chennai, 18–22&nbsp;March 2001 Ball-by-Ball Commentary| url=http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2000-01/AUS_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/AUS_IND_T3_18-22MAR2001_BBB-COMMS.html |publisher=ESPNcricinfo |access-date =28 February 2007}}</ref>

Waugh's team regrouped and won a 4–1 series victory over England during the 2001 Ashes tour.<ref name="k329">{{harvnb|Knight|2003|p=329}}</ref> He scored 105 in the First Test at Edgbaston as the Australians started the series with an innings victory. Waugh did not pass 50 in the next two Tests,<ref name="testlist"/> but Australia won both by eight and seven wickets respectively to retain the Ashes.<ref name="auslist"/> However, Waugh pulled a calf muscle and missed the Fourth Test at [[Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground|Headingley]] which Australia lost.<ref name="k328">{{harvnb|Knight|2003|p=328}}</ref> In his final Test innings on English soil at The Oval, he combined with brother Mark (120) in a partnership of 197, and scored 157 not out.<ref name="k328"/> Australia won by an innings to seal the series 4–1, with Waugh scoring 321 runs at 107.00.<ref name="k329"/>

He was unable to maintain this form during the 2001–02 Australian season, failing to score a century in the six Tests against New Zealand and South Africa;<ref name="testlist"/> The first two Tests against New Zealand were drawn due to rain, and the Third also ended in a draw.<ref name="auslist"/><ref>{{harvnb|Knight|2003|pp=329–331}}</ref> Waugh failed to pass double figures until scoring 67 in the second innings of the final Test, finishing the series with 78 runs at 19.50.<ref name="testlist"/>

Australia then went on to face South Africa, who were the second-ranked Test team in the world and were seen as the leading challengers to Australian supremacy.

Waugh managed only eight and 13 in the First Test,<ref name="testlist"/> but Australia managed to win by 246 runs in any case.<ref name="auslist"/> His best score of the series was 90 in the Second Test at the MCG.<ref name="testlist"/> His innings was ended by a run out decision, which the umpire did not refer to the video umpire. Waugh attracted criticism for not leaving the ground until he had watched a replay of the incident on the stadium's video screen.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} Australia powered to a nine-wicket win and then polished off a 3–0 sweep with a ten-wicket triumph in the Third Test at the SCG, with Waugh scoring 30.<ref name="testlist">{{cite web| title= Statsguru – SR Waugh – Tests – Innings by innings list | url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=player;playerid=1795;class=testplayer;filter=basic;team=0;opposition=0;notopposition=0;season=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;startdefault=1985-12-26;start=1985-12-26;enddefault=2004-01-06;end=2004-01-06;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;result=0;followon=0;seriesresult=0;captain=0;keeper=0;dnp=0;recent=;viewtype=aro_list;runslow=;runshigh=;batposition=0;dismissal=0;bowposition=0;ballslow=;ballshigh=;bpof=0;overslow=;overshigh=;conclow=;conchigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;dismissalslow=;dismissalshigh=;caughtlow=;caughthigh=;caughttype=0;stumpedlow=;stumpedhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype |publisher=ESPNcricinfo| access-date=5 June 2008}}</ref><ref name="auslist"/>