Be brave, former captain Waugh tells Aussies

ADELAIDE, Australia: Blessed with a truckload of match-winners, Australia is one team that shouldn’t fear failure as they get ready for Friday’s World Cup quarter-final against Pakistan here at Adelaide.
But from the looks of things, the Aussies seem scared facing a dangerously unpredictable team that they know is on a roll.
And to overcome fear, they’ve turned towards a man who is nicknamed ‘Iceman’, for his fearless approach to the game.
Steve Waugh, one of the most successful captains in Australia’s history, had dinner with his national team on Tuesday night and then turned up for its training session at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday morning.
“Be brave,” is what Waugh, who captained Australia to a title-winning triumph in the 1999 World Cup, told the Aussies during a chat over dinner.
Aaron Finch, the Australian opener, declared that his team was looking forward to the tricky Pakistan challenge with excitement following its interaction with Waugh.
“It’s an exciting time but at the same time I think the beauty of our team is we don’t fear losing,” he told reporters.
“Yes, it’s knockout. But as soon as you’re worried about losing a game you tighten up and you don’t play with your natural flair,” he said.
“That is what a lot of our chats have been about and Steve was great with his chat last night.
“He just said there is a reason why there is pressure, because you’re expected to do well and expected to perform and there is only one reason for that: it’s because we have been successful and we’re good players.
“So we’re excited about that challenge and we’re not fazed about losing.
“You don’t worry about the outcome because as soon as you do that your (winning) percentage goes down.”
The current batch of Australian players had a lot of questions for Waugh, regarded among the legends of international cricket.
“The guys just threw some questions at him... he has obviously captained a winning one and played in another (final) as well so there’s not too many better credentialled players to talk to.”
Waugh, 49, who featured in four World Cups and was part of the winning squad twice in 1987 and 1999, stayed with the Aussies during Wednesday’s training and was willing to help any of the players looking for tips from one of history’s greatest all-rounders.
And Finch was one of them.
“I felt like I have been playing nicely in the nets,” The Victorian said. “It has not translated into runs over the past couple of games but I’m not too bothered about it.
“Getting the hundred in the first game against England gives you confidence going into a big game. There was a huge build-up to that first clash. I’m still very confident going into Friday.”
Finch said he discussed batting tactics with Waugh following a lean run after piling up 135 in Australia’s World Cup opener against England. Since then he has returned with scores of 14, 4, 24, 20 in Australia’s last four matches.