Waugh lifts Kent with half-century on debut

Steve Waugh made a match-winning debut for Kent yesterday, scoring a solid unbeaten half century to help them overcome a dogged Leicestershire side in a grimly fought Norwich Union League match. The victory means Kent have won every floodlit match they have played, home and away.

But while it was a great start it was hardly a dream one as Waugh initially struggled to make runs. He had been in for 12 overs before he reached double figures and had faced 53 balls before he found the boundary for the first time.

But gradually it began to dawn on an impatient but enthusiastic home crowd that there was no need to panic, Waugh was merely doing what he does best, pacing himself and using his bat safely.

He had had to watch as Kent lost batsmen at the other end, but at no stage did the Australian maestro even hint at any anxiety. He simply got his head down and grafted until he was good and ready, then he fired. He sent the ball soaring over the mid-wicket boundary and out into the darkness beyond with a slog-sweep. The ball was not recovered and neither did Leicestershire.

The determined Aussie and the Leicestershire old boy Paul Nixon shared an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 72, with Waugh striking the winning boundary ­ the third of his 86-ball innings.

As debuts go, it had begun quietly enough at the St Lawrence Ground. Waugh's initial duties were to move from mid-off to mid-on and wider and there were no feats for the 7,100 spectators to cheer until the 40th over of the Leicestershire innings.

Phillip DeFreitas miscued and the ball arced towards wide mid-on where the man in the No24 shirt took a comfortable catch at precisely 6.42pm.

Runs had been difficult enough for Leicestershire ­ even the Kent old boy Trevor Ward, a genuinely quick scorer, was consigned to a strait-jacket as his former team-mates limited his opportunities.

Having lost his opening partner Iain Sutcliffe in the 11th over with just 34 on the board, Ward lost his off stump six overs later when a mere 13 runs had been added. The two Darrens, Maddy and Stevens, had a whack but they both fell for 22. Neil Burns injected some respectability to the total, top scoring with 35.

Martin Saggers was the pick of the Kent attack, following up his season's best League bowling of 3 for 21 against Somerset 10 days ago with an impressive 3 for 22 off his nine overs. The stage was set for Waugh to bring his 325 one-day international appearances to bear. Which he duly did. On the evidence of this opening effort, Waugh is going to be a shrewd and ­ for the opposition ­ dangerous signing.

Afterwards he said: "I'm a bit stiff and sore. It was a tough wicket to bat on and it's not the greatest fifty I've ever scored. But I always thought we could win it."