Steve Waugh rejoins Australia as mentor ahead of Old Trafford Test

News

Will Ford
September 2, 2019

Steve Waugh has rejoined Australia as a mentor ahead of the fourth Ashes Test match at Old Trafford.

The former Aussie captain spent the first month of the Ashes tour with the Australia side but travelled home after the Lord’s Test.

First team coach, and former teammate, Justin Langer confirmed how keen Waugh was to return to the setup.

Langer told Sky Sports: “Steve was actually going to fly home, do the function and fly back the next day. That’s how much he’s enjoying it. He’s been like a kid at Christmas.

“To come back after such a long time away from the game, his passion and enthusiasm has been brilliant and it’s going to be great.”

Waugh also held mentoring positions at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games with Australian teams.

Shane Warner, Ricky Ponting and Mitchell Johnson have also held mentoring positions with Australia in the past.

Langer added: “They have they got a great presence within the group but they’re great psychologists as well. They’ve been in the cauldron, they’ve seen it before.

“To have your guys learning from people of that calibre is very important short-term, but longer term there’s huge value in that.”

Langer hinted not having Waugh during the Third Test at Headingley could have affected the result.

He said: “Would he have made a difference in those last 60-70 runs? Who knows?”