The cold steel that has characterised Steve Waugh's time in Australian cricket was very much in evidence when he was asked about the distinct possibility of South Africa overtaking Australia in the ICC Test Championship if they beat Pakistan on home turf. Waugh's acerbic response: "Everyone knows who the No.1 side is." Waugh also admitted to being distressed about the whispers of "chucker" that have followed Brett Lee around the international circuit. The new wave of debate on Lee's action surfaced after slow-motion replays during coverage of the Australia-Sri Lanka VB Series match at Perth. One of his deliveries was clocked at 156.2 kilometres per hour (97.05mph) by Channel Nine's cameras and Waugh, for one, saw nothing wrong with his action. "I don't think anyone in a position of responsibility with regard to the game has commented on it," he said. "It's been speculation by people watching the game - a lot of people have opinions out there. There hasn't been a problem with the umpires or the match referees or anyone that really counts. As far as I'm concerned, it's not an issue." "He (Lee) doesn't like reading stories about that," added Waugh. "He's only human, he's not going to enjoy that sort of publicity. It's a stigma he's got to carry around and I don't think he deserves it."

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