{
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    "title": "Steve Waugh boosts Australia ahead of Pakistan clash",
    "lang": "en",
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    "cup_year": "2015",
    "article_type": "General",
    "excerpt": "Australia's World Cup-winning captain Steve Waugh joined his countrymen here on Wednesday",
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    "editor1": "<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">Adelaide, March 18, (IANS) Australia&#39;s World Cup-winning captain Steve Waugh joined his countrymen here on Wednesday to help reassure the players they can cope with the pressure of entering the knockout stage of the cricket tournament.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The four-time World Champions face Pakistan in the quarter-finals on Friday to book a place in the mega-event semi-final.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">Coach Darren Lehmann&#39;s strategy of having former greats gracing their dressing room has paid off quite well. Waugh joined the squad for their training session at Adelaide Oval, in preparation for their day-nighter against Pakistan -- the team the Waugh-led Australia beat in the 1999 final.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The Australian great played 493 international matches (both Tests and one-day internationals) scoring a total 18,496 runs in both formats of the game. He led the Baggy Greens in 163 international matches and won 108 of them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The intent of recruiting Waugh is that players can seek advice from him, or simply just ask him to share his experiences, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">Australia&#39;s opener Aaron Finch welcomed the presence of the legend among their squad.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">&quot;He&#39;s been good. We had a team dinner on Tuesday night and we had a quick chat before we headed off from there. It wasn&#39;t anything that was really planned. Guys just threw a few questions out at him,&quot; Finch said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">&quot;It was good to sit down over dinner with him and just chat about cricket really, and World Cups. He&#39;s obviously captained a winning one (1999) and played in another one as well (1987). There&#39;s not many better-credentialled players to talk to about it,&quot; he added.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">Given less than half of Australia&#39;s squad has World Cup experience, Finch said, for him and many of his teammates this was a career pinnacle.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">&quot;Absolutely. It&#39;s a lot of our first World Cups. It&#39;s an exciting time,&quot; he said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">&quot;The beauty of our team is we don&#39;t fear losing. Yes it&#39;s knockout but as soon as you&#39;re worried about losing a game you tighten up and you don&#39;t play with your natural flair. That&#39;s what a lot of our chat has been about,&quot; the 28-year-old right-handed batsman said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n",
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    "created": "2015-03-18 09:19:00",
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