The Mentality We Took In That We Were Going To Take England On - Steve Waugh Reveals Why Australian Batsmen Didn't Wear Helmets In 1989 Ashes
Published - 15 May 2021, 04:48 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 03:12 PM
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh revealed an interesting anecdote about the historic 1989 Ashes in England. Allan Border’s Australia side won an away Ashes for the first time in 15 years, and Steve Waugh, who would later become one of the greatest Australian skippers, had a breakthrough series scoring 506 runs at a staggering average of 126.50.
Australia won the series 4-0; Steve Waugh says it was their mindset from the first game which helped them throughout the series. He remembers the team decided that the top 6 batters would bat without helmets, as an indication to the English side about their bold and brave mentality.
“It might not have been mentioned, but the top six players didn’t wear helmets on that tour. That was a bit of a collective decision by the batsmen to say: ‘hang on, we’re up for this contest, we don’t need a helmet, we’re going to take the English attack on,” Steve Waugh revealed on the Road to the Ashes podcast, as quoted by Fox Sports.
“I look back and it was a pretty brave and bold move and something that maybe has been overlooked. But that was mentality we took in that we were going to take England on,” Steve Waugh added.
The first Test match was a bit of a fluke really: Steve Waugh
The 55-year-old feels that the first Test, which Australia won in Leeds, was “by accident” and a “bit of a fluke”. The visitors won the game by 210 runs, as they skittled England in the fourth innings in 55.2 overs on Day 5.
Steve Waugh himself scored a magnificent 177* in the first innings to set up the game. He reckons win in the first Test set their tone to clinch the urn.
“The first Test match was a bit of a fluke really. We were used to losing a lot, so we were happy to draw the Test match, so Allan batted on until just before lunch on the fifth day before we declared, so that was a sign that, firstly, we didn’t want to lose the Test match but, secondly, it was a bit of a bonus if we were going to take some wickets,” the right-hander stated.
“I think we got one before lunch and Merv (Hughes) bowled really well and Terry Alderman and Geoff Lawson, and all of a sudden it started to happen in the middle session and we had this incredible unexpected win against the odds.
“And that gave us enormous belief that we could actually beat England, we could compete and we could do things we didn’t really believe we could do. So the first one was by accident and once we got our nose in front, we really started to believe,” he relives the historic game.
Australia will next host England in the 2021/22 Ashes later in the year. Tim Paine and his team currently hold the urn after having retained it on their previous tour in 2019.
