'I Feel Like I'm 20'

Steve Waugh simply refuses to give up.

The Australian Test captain may be approaching 40 but he does not believe that time is running out for him.

"I know I'm 38 now, but cricket-wise I feel like I'm 20," Waugh said in an interviewto the Reader's Digest.

"I can learn. I think I can improve. I don't dwell on what I have done -- it's what I haven't done," he said.

Waugh, who took over the Australian captaincy from Mark Taylor in 1998-99, has heard murmurs about his greying hair inrecent times.

He was dropped from the one-day team in the beginning of 2002 and was ignored for the World Cup. In the past Australiansummer, there were even calls to drop him from the Test team but "The Iceman" silenced his critics with his 29th Test ton-- equalling Sir Don Bradman's record -- in a memorable match, which many thought would be his last, against England.

The selectors persisted with him for the West Indies tour and Waugh justified the faith reposed in him with anothercentury as he led his side to a 3-1 victory in the Caribbeans.

Waugh says age should never be a factor in judging a player's worth to the team.

"I don't think age should be a factor in anything. If you're doing the job and you're good at it and you've acquiredall that experience over the years, it seems strange to say: Let's get rid of this bloke and the start the process allover again'.

As long as you're competitive and fit, age has nothing to do with it," he said.

Waugh says he is training harder on his fitness than he ever did before.

"... I'm training four days a week and I'm the fittest I've ever been. You can't deny the fact that when you're inyour thirties your body is not the same as when you're in your twenties. "You've just got to work harder."

Waugh, who is married to his school-mate Lynett and has three children, is also known for his charity work. He is thechief fund-raiser for Udayan, a girls' home near Kolkata, and also the patron of Camp Quality, which helps children withcancer in Australia.

It was while mulling over a bitter series defeat in his Kolkata hotel room in 1998 that a despondent Waugh received aletter from the charity trust. His decision to take the two-hour drive to the leprosarium changed his life forever.

"When I was at the centre I happened to ask how come there were no girls there...They started telling me about seven-and eight-year-old girls who have to support theirfamilies -- by prostitution.

"Rosalie (his eldest daughter) was about a year-and-a-half at that stage and I could not stand to think of my
daughter in the same position. I said 'I wanted to help'...", and Udayan was born.

Waugh says every high profile person has an obligation to his society.

"When a charity rings you, there's a reason why. They're desperate...You can raise money easily with a signed bat. Even a signed shirt can raise a couple of thousand bucks."

I can never work out why people with money keep it and don't help other people."

Growing up with twin brother Mark also brought its own share of intense scrutiny, right from his childhood.

"There was always competition. It was forced on us because we were twins. It got to the stage where we probably just hadenough, so we went our separate ways.

"We always had different sponsors, different interests away from the game and different friends. But we certainlylook after each other and want each other to do well."

Eighteen years on the cricket field have brought Waugh 160 Test caps -- the highest ever for any player -- and 10,265runs, second highest behind his former Australian captain and mentor Allan Border.

"If people had told me at 19 that I'd be giving interviews and making speeches, I'd have said 'No way! I can'tdo that.' But when you have a go, it's amazing what you can achieve."

It's just a matter of being able to handle failure and making a fool of yourself occasionally because you're notalways going to get it right."

Waugh, who had brought out the latest edition of his Captain's Diary -- a compilation of his impressions while ontour, says commentating is one of the options he has for life after cricket.

"I am signed up with the Channel Nine commentary team, I also want to continue with the charitywork.

I know from the experiences I have had in cricket that if you push yourself, you can do anything.The greatest thing is to take yourself out of the comfort zone and do something you thought you couldn't do."

PTI