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Don't write off Mark Waugh
Wisden CricInfo staff - March 21, 2002

Mark Waugh still has plenty to offer Australia, openingbatsman and team-mate Justin Langer said on Thursday.

Just back from the South African tour, Langer said the younger Waugh twin had the body of "a Rolls Royce" and he expected no changes for next month's two Tests in Zimbabwe to the team which defeated South Africa 2-1 in the recent three-Test series.

This completed a 5-1 Australian success against South Africa in the past three months, keeping Steve Waugh's side at the top of the world Test rankings.

Despite Australia's convincing wins, Mark Waugh and brother Steve have had a poor run this summer, failing to record a century between them in 40 Test and one-day international innings during that period. In South Africa, Steve endured one of his worst tours, scoring 95 runs at an average of 19, while Mark registered 169 at just over 33 in the series which finished in Durban this week.

But Langer declared: "I have no doubt that Mark Waugh has a future in Test cricket. His body is still like a Rolls Royce, he moves so well, and he's a magnificent fielder.

"We have had so much success in the team over a long period and he has been an integral part of that. I would be surprised if they made any changes."

Mark Waugh faces an agonising wait over the next week before knowing if his 125-Test career - in which he has tallied just under 8,000 runs - has come to an end. The national selectors were expected to meet over the coming days to choose the Australian team for the two Test matches in next month's proposed tour of Zimbabwe.

Langer said he was happy for the tour of Zimbabwe to go ahead after the country was suspended from the Commonwealth in the wake of escalated violence resulting from recent elections.

"We have got to leave the politics to the politicians," Langer said. "If they say it is going to be safe and okay to go there, then I believe we are still going as planned."

Langer has returned briefly to his home in Perth because he is not a member of Australia's one-day side, which is about to start a series of limited-overs games in South Africa. But Langer, who has formed a match-winning Test opening partnership with Matthew Hayden, is an automatic choice for the Zimbabwe Test series.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd