Mark Waugh

Lazy elegance had a second name in the form of Mark Waugh, one half of the famous Waugh twins and amongst Australia’s most celebrated cricketers. While his twin brother Steve was grit personified, Mark’s ability to unfurl breathtaking strokes with absolute ease was marvelous. ‘Junior’ as Mark is fondly called, made his international debut in 1988 in ODIs but didn’t quite set the cricket world on fire. However, his performances in the Australian domestic circuit saw him getting rewarded with a Test cap in 1991, as he replaced his twin brother in the squad.

Mark started his Test career with a bang, stroking a classy century on debut against England at the Adelaide Oval. The knock made the world to sit up and take notice of this dashing shot-maker who was a delight to watch when on song. His Test career motored along well and it also had a positive effect on his limited-overs game as he started performing consistently in ODIs too. While he batted in the middle order in the longer format, Mark utilized his stylish strokeplay to the maximum as an opener in the 50-over game.

The 1994-96 phase saw Mark at his absolute best as he was exceptionally consistent in both formats. The fact that his ODI career was in full swing was the pleasing aspect as he had established himself in Tests from the word go. Mark’s best two years in the 50-over circuit came in the World Cup years, 1996 and 1999, aggregating over 1000 runs both times at a healthy average. He was a man for big occasions, as his World Cup records show and relished playing under pressure. His batting prowess yielded 38 international centuries, more or less evenly distributed between the two formats.

While his batting was a delight, Mark Waugh’s fielding was poetry to the eyes. A born athlete, the man could field anywhere with precision although his expertise was in the slip cordon where he ruled throughout his career. His catching was high class, making stunners look a piece of cake. Mark made his fielding seem too easy, much like his batting. Individual achievements apart, his best moment was undoubtedly that of being a World Cup winner in 1999 under his twin’s leadership. Post the title win, he continued to churn out runs consistently and seemed set to play the next edition that was to be hosted by South Africa in 2003.

However, things didn’t quite work out that way. Despite being in top form during the year 2001, he was unceremoniously dropped from the ODI side along with Steve the following year after Australia failed to make the final of the tri-series at home, enduring his slight lean patch with the bat. It was a painful anti-climax to the ODI careers of the famous twins who had served Australian cricket exceptionally over the years. Mark did turn to administration after his retirement and was appointed national selector in 2014. He still continues to hold that spot and has been a very popular man across the country regarding team selections.