Waugh having blood-thinning treatment
AAP - 30 September 2001

Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh is having blood thinning treatment after problems with the leg injury suffered on the Ashes tour.

Waugh's manager Robert Joske today confirmed Waugh was on a course of blood thinning tablets and would make a delayed start to the busy domestic season.

A newspaper today reported that Waugh was being treated for the potentially fatal condition deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and had developed a blood clot in his lower left leg.

However Joske said he was "not aware" of that.

"He (Waugh) is having his blood thinned but that's just part of getting him back on the field quickly," Joske said.

"He had a hematoma as a result of the injury and the treatment that he was undergoing in the Ashes series, so he's just having on-going treatment for that."

The injury will leave 36-year-old Waugh little time to prepare for the back-to-back Test series against New Zealand and South Africa starting in early November.

He suffered a torn calf muscle during the Third Ashes Test but recovered sufficiently to score an unbeaten 157 in the fifth and final Test, though he hobbled his way through the marathon innings.

"He's been having ongoing treatment for his calf tear, that's all it is at this stage, nothing more," Joske said.

"We're expecting him to be fit and ready to be playing, probably in about two weeks' time."

Waugh was expected to miss NSW'S first two limited overs interstate matches, next Sunday against Victoria and the following week against Tasmania, and he could also miss out on the Blues' opening Pura Cup fixture against Tasmania starting on October 17.

"We haven't actually set any schedules on it but we will be taking medical advice on that," Joske said.

That would leave him just one four-day match before the first Test against the Kiwis in Brisbane starting on November 8.

"It's a matter of when Steve's feeling fit and ready to go. We won't race him back into it," added Joske.

"There's a big cricket season ahead and we want to make sure that he's fit for it.

"We'll be allowing a bit more time and preparation to make sure when he goes back on he is completely fit, so we don't have the same sort of thing that we had in the Fifth Test."

© 2001 AAP


Teams Australia.
First Class Teams New South Wales.
Players/Umpires Steve Waugh.
Tours New Zealand in Australia South Africa in Australia
Season Australian Domestic Season