ST JOHN'S, (Reuters):
AUSTRALIA CAPTAIN Steve Waugh dismissed a suggestion that his team have made cricket boring by winning all the time after the fourth Test match against West Indies yesterday.
"Rubbish, really," said Waugh when asked what he thought about the suggestion his side was boring.
"I don't remember anyone saying that the West Indies ruined the game in the 1970s and 1980s. What happens is that it makes everyone else raise their standards."
Waugh said West Indies, who beat Australia by three wickets in the fourth and final Test yesterday to avoid what would have been their first-ever home whitewash, were an example of teams stepping up to the challenge.
"West Indies are an emerging side, they showed that in the last two Tests. They've gone a bit further, raised the bar and it's up to other sides to try and do the same."
Waugh also stood by his decision to bring on legspinner Stuart MacGill in the 10th over of the day after MacGill ended the innings with just one wicket for 149 off 35.5 overs.
"You've got to back your gut feeling. I thought Stuart would take care of the rest, it was a turning track and tail enders find it difficult to play against.
"If any one of those lbws had been given, I think we would have won the match. I stand by the decision."
Waugh said that his team's performance in the fourth Test had been affected by the gap of only three days since the end of the third Test in Barbados.
"We raised the bar in the Barbados Test and we lowered it in this Test match.
"It's a big ask when you have back to back Test matches. Two or three days between Test matches in not really enough (and) we knew it would be a tough fight but we didn't expect to lose."
