Latest news with #SteveWaugh
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Behind the scenes in Kia's Tasman Town
How many sports stars does it take to convince Australians that Kia can make a good, off-road, dual cab ute? The South Korean car manufacturer – better known for their sensible SUVs – clearly thinks the answer is a lot. Last week, for the launch of its first-ever ute, the Tasman, Kia shipped Alex Volkanovski, Lance Franklin, David Boonie, Damien Oliver, Alfie Langer, Steve Waugh, Dane Swan, Nathan Hindmarsh and Darren Lockyer to a small country town in the Central West of New South Wales. A truly impressive bevy of athletes. Some of the biggest names in Australian sport. And they were all brought together to participate in what might best be described as a night of improvisational theatre. No, really. For the launch, Kia took over Sofala, a historic gold rush town with a population of around 100 people, and transformed it into 'Tasman Town', the imaginary destination featured in their ads. I was one of a few dozen motoring writers and media types who were invited along for the event. On arrival, we were greeted as though we were newcomers to the area, interested in buying a local property. To help us get acquainted with the town, an actor, playing the local mayor, gave us a tour of the main street. Along the way, we were introduced to a few of the 'residents'. These were, of course, the athletes who were in character as … well … themselves. But versions of themselves who drove Kias, worked trades, and lived in a fake town. Frankly, I call this non-consensual improvisation. Usually, I would gnaw off my own hand to avoid it. Kia, perhaps being one step ahead of dissidents like myself, were mercifully quick to distribute beer and wine to prevent any such drastic actions. Certainly, some athletes were more comfortable in their acting roles than others. UFC Featherweight Champion Alex Volkanovski – pretending to a butcher – was a standout performer. I suppose if your actual job is beating men into a pulp with your knuckles, all other gigs are comparatively easy. A few actual Sofala residents were also involved in the show. They had the important job of walking ponies and goats up and down the street. You know, just like any ordinary country town. The rest of the locals had gathered at the pub, schooners in hand, to watch the palaver unfold. Their faces were inscrutable as the media pack shuffled past. Once the mandatory theatre component of the evening had concluded, guests and the sporting icons were free to mingle. This, I realise, would be a dream event for many Australians. Unfortunately, as someone with terrible facial memory and a dearth of knowledge on any non car-related sport, I was in a personally-tailored horror story. Every conversation was socially fraught. Did this person look familiar because I've met them at a car launch? Or are they an Australian sporting legend whom I should absolutely know? There were a million ways for a person like me to socially embarrass themselves. Inevitably, it wasn't long before I found one. During the evening's formal dinner, the person assigned to the place next to me sat down, shook my hand and asked, 'Who are you?'. This was an aggressive start to a conversation, I thought. I fired back, 'I'm Stephanie, who are you?' To which he replied, very politely, that he was Nathan Hindmarsh, one of the footy players. Also, he clarified, he'd asked me how are you, not who are you. Hindmarsh then proceeded to further shame me by being thoroughly funny and charming for the rest of the evening. The Tasman launch was an extravaganza, but I was obviously not the target audience. The fact that no female sporting stars were present – even though they featured in some of the ads – is further evidence of this fact. If Kia has a vision board for the Tasman, dead centre is a caricature of an Aussie tradesman. Their method for appealing to these men – getting high-profile sporting heroes to pretend to be tradies – is borderline patronising. But Kia is not in a position to take any serious creative risks. They need the Tasman to work in Australia. This is no small task. Kia is entering a very established, highly-competitive dual cab ute market late in the day, and with a car that is being thoroughly panned online for its boxy, brutalist design. Kia has decided to align itself with winners.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pat Cummins goes against Aussie tradition as baggy green detail comes to light
Pat Cummins has gone against the grain and opted to sport a brand new baggy green for the Test series against the West Indies after a special request was granted for the Aussie captain. The baggy green is arguably the most recognisable and prestigious piece of clothing in Australian sport and players often wear the cap until it is in tatters. The likes of Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and David Warner all wore their iconic hat until it was falling apart. Waugh's captaincy changed the perception of what the baggy green stood for in cricketing culture and it became a treasured item in the Aussie sporting landscape. While some do get their cap repaired after years of wear, most players insist on keeping the same item throughout their entire career. Steve Smith recently had the front of his treasured cap fixed after it frayed on the brim having worn it for 16 years. However, Cummins has gone for an alternative approach and opted to replace his tattered baggy green with a new one after 68 Test matches. In the World Test Championship final, fans noticed the Aussie captain's cap was falling apart. He even opted to wear a hat in his post-match press conference. And ahead of the West Indies series, Cummins has been delivered a new cap albeit it with a twist. Cummins wasn't happy with the way his old baggy green was repaired and opted to get Albion to replace his cap, according to reporter Bharat Sundaresan in Barbados. While this is an alternative approach, Cummins' request for Albion to make the cap is big considering Kookaburra have taken over the manufacturing of the iconic piece. Cummins was initially presented his Albion Baggy green on his debut in 2011 against South Africa. Kookaburra took over the contract to make the item in 2016, which meant Cummins was going to have a different manufacturer and a slightly lighter shade of green. Instead, Cummins made sure Albion made his new item and it could be the very last one they do considering it was a request from the captain. "He asked for a new one, but insisted it was an Albion," Sundaresan said on The Final Word podcast. "There is always so many stories for every cricketer who's been fortunate to have got the baggy green." Cummins will wear his new baggy green for the first time on Wednesday when he leads Australia out against the West Indies. The new baggy green will also go along with a fresh starting XI for Australia after going down to South Africa in the WTC final this month. Pat's wearing a brand new baggy green with his old one quite knackered. Of interest to kit badgers: he's very pleased that it is one of the last (possibly the last) Albion. #WIvAUS — Adam Collins (@collinsadam) June 24, 2025 "Every Baggy Green tells a story" Pat Cummins got a new one but made sure it was the classic ALBION brand!#WIvsAUS @YouCanCountOnMB — The Final Word (@Final_Word_Pod) June 24, 2025 RELATED: Alyssa Healy reveals retirement backflip in huge call on future South Africa get last laugh as Aussie sledge backfires badly Speaking ahead of the first ball against the West Indies in Barbados, Cummins revealed the leadership see Cameron Green as their long-term No.3 option. Green was reinstated for the WTC final at No.3, but failed to get into double figures in either innings. However, the captain feels the side is looking to give Green an extended run to show his talent. "We see that (No.3) as a long-term option," Cummins said. "Going in to last week, he's hitting the ball really well. He's moving really well. He had a Test match where it obviously didn't go to plan. The message is not to look too much into that. We're really happy with where his game is placed. I dare say he'll get a decent run at No.3." This comes as Marnus Labuschagne was dropped from the side, which has seen Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis move into the XI. "If there's an opening, we could see him kind of fighting his way back into the Test team at some point, but obviously the focus now is giving a couple of other guys a go," Cummins said in a blow to Labuschagne.
India.com
20-06-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Captains with MOST ICC titles, it's not MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting at top
A good captain in cricket is not that person who sets the field, he/she sets the tone to a whole generation. The sport events such as World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy of ICC are its largest stages. Very few leaders have been able to conquer them, leaving alone competing with them. With Steve Waugh as the captain, Australia won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1999 and ICC KnockOut Trophy (currently known as the Champions trophy) in 2000. His emphasis on mental toughness and team cohesion laid the foundation for Australia's dominant era and served as a blueprint for future captains. Pat Cummins brought Australia to unprecedented success in 2023, when the team won ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup. The global prominence with the red ball and white ball in such a short period is one of the most unlikely aspects of the contemporary cricket game, and it makes the Cummins leadership outstanding. Darren Sammy wrote history as he became the first captain to clinch two ICC T20 World cups in 2012 and 2016. A leader by all means, he also inspired and made the ceremony after the 2016 final contain all emotions, with tears, and happiness, and dancing being remembered as one of the most recognised moments in cricket. The first skipper to lift an ICC title was Clive Lloyd and the West Indies won the ICC Cricket World Cup back to back in 1975 and 1979. His side had a ferocious batting and bowling combination, explosive, awe-inspiring and nearly unstoppable and that solidified the Caribbean influence in international cricket. A genuine cricketing star, Lloyd made a match winning 102 in the inaugural 1975 final to establish the tone of a West Indian dominance. Some of the achievements of MS Dhoni as a captain involve the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. His influence is not confined to the silverware, however, and it is characterised by his ability to quietly remain calm in crunch situations, faith in the youth and a radicalisation of the white-ball game in India. Ricky Ponting has led Australia to win two ICC Cricket World Cups in 2003 and 2007 as well as ICC Champions Trophy titles in 2006 and 2009. Captaining the troops of a star-studded team comprising of the likes of Warne, McGrath and Gilchrist; Ponting transformed them into an invincible bowling team which believed in being aggressive, precise and an invincible and undying spirit. There is a record in his name as his team did not lose during the 2003 and the 2007 ODI World Cups. Among all women and men in the cricketing world, no captain has been able to conquer as many ICC titles as Meg Lanning. During her tenure, Australia won four world titles of the ICC Women T20 World cups (2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023) and the ICC Women Cricket World Cup in 2022.
South China Morning Post
10-06-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Australia great Steve Waugh sends Test cricket plea ahead of World Championship final
Ahead of the World Test Championship final this week, Australian great Steve Waugh said the five-day format remained 'the pinnacle of the game'. Australia and South Africa will fight for global honours in the Lord's showpiece from Wednesday, as Test cricket emerges from its four-month hibernation following the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Last year, Waugh said he feared the imminent 'death of Test cricket', after South Africa sent a second-string team to play two Tests in New Zealand because of a clash with a domestic T20 competition. After watching 'some of the most amazing matches in history over the past 12 months', however, Waugh said the game was back in a 'pretty good place'. He acknowledged franchise cricket was a huge pull for players who could 'earn 10 times the money' they would in the Test arena, 'to play under less pressure, and spend less time away from home'. Virat Kohli aims a shot towards leg during last year's Boxing Day Test between Australia and India. Photo: AP Photo And for that reason, Waugh, who scored 10,927 runs in 168 Tests, at an average of 51.06, said players, administrators, leaders and captains 'have an obligation to tell people how great Test cricket is … we need to keep promoting it.
India Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Shubman Gill gets Steve Waugh's backing as Test captain: Indian cricket in good hands
Legendary Australia captain Steve Waugh has called Shubman Gill an excellent choice to lead India in Test cricket. Gill has been named India's 37th Test captain as he took over the reins from Rohit Sharma following the latter's retirement from the longest format. Gill will be leading a young Indian side after Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin bid adieu to the many experts have expressed their reservations around Shubman's ascent to the leadership position, he's got the backing from Steve Waugh. The legendary cricketer has rated him as a good choice but said that he will have to grow into the role where he will be put under immense pressure."But they're in good hands. Shubham Gill is an excellent player. Very good under pressure. Thinks well. He's respected by his team, so he'll be a good choice, but you've got to give him time to grow into the role. It's a big responsibility. Representing 1.4 to 1.5 billion people. A lot of pressure," Waugh told ANI. Gill will be leading India in the upcoming tour of England as they begin their new cycle of the World Test Championship. He has played 32 Test matches so far and scored 1893 runs at an average of 35.05 with five hundreds and seven has the experience of leading on five occasions in first-class cricket. The 25-year-old will be having Rishabh Pant as his deputy as the duo has been entrusted to usher the Indian Test team into a new currently leading the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025). GT are enjoying a successful season as they're ranked second on the points table with 18 points from 14 matches.
