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Mark Waugh
Personal information
Full name
Mark Edward Waugh AM
NicknameJunior
BattingRight-hand
BowlingRight-arm medium/off-break
RoleBatsman
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 349)25 January 1991 v England
Last Test19 October 2002 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 105)11 December 1988 v Pakistan
Last ODI3 February 2002 v South Africa
ODI shirt no.6
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1985–2004New South Wales
1988–2002Essex
Career statistics
Competition Tests ODI FC List A
Matches 128 244 368 435
Runs scored 8029 8500 26855 14663
Batting average 41.81 39.35 52.04 39.10
100s/50s 20/47 18/50 81/133 27/85
Top score 153* 173 229* 173
Balls bowled 4853 3687 15808 6947
Wickets 59 85 208 173
Bowling average 41.16 34.56 40.98 33.42
5 wickets in innings 1 1 3 1
10 wickets in match 0 n/a 0 n/a
Best bowling 5/40 5/24 6/68 5/24
Catches/stumpings 181/– 108/– 452/– 201/–
Source: cricketarchive.com, 19 August 2007

Mark Edward Waugh, AM (born June 2, 1965 in Canterbury, New South Wales) is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as he is younger than his brother Steve by a few minutes.

Key achievements

Waugh was primarily a right-handed batsman, batting in the No.4 position in Test matches, and was also a handy medium pace bowler, who changed to an off-spin bowler after back injuries restricted him.[1] He is regarded as one of the best slip fielders ever to play cricket,[2] and holds the world record for most Test catches by a non-wicketkeeper.

He began as an all-rounder in the Australian ODI team, but he later focussed on batting and progressed to opening the batting, where he excelled and became Australia's leading one day runscorer. His three centuries at the 1996 Cricket World Cup made him the only batsman to ever achieve this feat, and a fourth century in the 1999 tournament made him the only Australian to score more than 1000 runs in World Cup competition and to score four centuries. He became the leading Australian run-scorer and century maker in ODIs during the 1999 tournament.

Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game,[3] and was regularly in the top 10 rated batsman from the mid 1990s to 21st century [citation needed]. He was well-known for his general mastery of batting when facing spin bowling.[citation needed] However, his facile grace also lead to accusations that he was a "lazy" batsman who was vulnerable to soft dismissals. [1][4]

Waugh is the younger fraternal twin brother [1] of Steve Waugh,[1] with whom he played for most of his career and also under his captaincy. They hold the record for the most Test and ODI matches in which siblings appeared together [citation needed].

Cricket career

Waugh opened the bowling during his first-class debut for NSW in 1985–86. At this stage of his career, Waugh lived in the shadow of his brother Steve, who was promoted to the Australian team at the age of 20. As a result, Mark was sometimes called Afghan, a reference to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, sometimes dubbed the "forgotten war".[1] Building up an impressive record at first-class level, Waugh spent two seasons with English County Essex as the team's successor to Allan Border as overseas professional.[citation needed] In 1987–88 and 1989–90, he was voted the Sheffield Shield player of the year.[1] Making his ODI debut in the 1988–89 World Series Cup, he played seven matches in the tournament as a specialist batsman, but failed to pass 50.

Century on debut

At the age of 25, he was finally picked for his Test debut in 1990–91, which resulted in mixed emotions: his place in the team game came at the expense of his out-of-form brother.[citation needed] Playing against England in the fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval, Waugh made a stylish 138 in his first innings and became the fifteenth Australian to make a century on debut[5].

The brothers played their first match together for Australia in the third Test at Trinidad, on the 1991 tour of the West Indies: the first time that twins had played in the same Test match.[1] In the fifth Test of the series at St. John's, Antigua, Waugh made 139 not out against the West Indies.[1] Shielding the tailenders from the West Indies fast bowlers, he still managed to score a century between tea and stumps.[1]

Run of bad form

During the 1991–92 Australian summer, Waugh hit a patch of bad form. He was dropped from the ODI team in the early part of the season, then omitted from the Test team in favour of Tom Moody for the fifth Test against India at Perth. Following his recall to the ODI in place of the injured Bruce Reid, Waugh scored only 20 runs at 6.67.

He was part of the team that failed to make the semi-finals of the World Cup, but did not play the entire tournament due to his poor form. After scoring 2 in the opening match against New Zealand at Eden Park, he was dropped for three games, then played in the last four matches. His best effort was an unbeaten 66 from 39 balls against Zimbabwe at Bellerive Oval. On the tour of Sri Lanka that followed, Waugh returned to the Test team and scored 5 and 56 in the First Test but followed it with four consecutive ducks.[1]

A score of 112 at the MCG in the second Test of 1992–93 helped set up an Australian victory and a 1–0 lead in the Frank Worrell Trophy series against the West Indies. During that season's World Series Cup, he scored a half-century and took 5/24 as Australia successfully defended a small total.

ODI opener

After two unproductive Tests on the 1993 New Zealand tour, Waugh was again dropped for poor form, this time in favour of the younger Damien Martyn. In the ODI series, Australian opted for a new strategy, and promoted Waugh to open the batting. He scored 60 and 57 in the first two matches to help set up an Australian victory, then scored his maiden ODI century, 108 at Hamilton. A score of 83 in the final match made him the leading batsman of the series with 308 runs at 61.6.

On the following tour of England, Waugh scored 174 against Surrey and reclaimed his Test position from Martyn. He scored an ODI and a Test century in matches at Edgbaston, and was bowled for 99 by Phil Tufnell in the second Test at Lord's. Waugh described Tufnell's defensive approach of pitching the ball outside the leg stump as, "terrible bowling ... a very negative piece of cricket". However, Tufnell dismissed him more than ten times in Test matches utilising this tactic. A century against New Zealand in Hobart brought Waugh's total to 987 Test runs for the calendar year.

Bribery claims

Starting 1994 well, Waugh was named Player of the Finals against South Africa in the World Series Cup and he then scored a century against the same opponents in the drawn third Test at Durban. Later in the year, Waugh claimed that Pakistan captain Saleem Malik had offered him (along with Tim May and Shane Warne) money to perform poorly during a match on the tour of Pakistan. Waugh's performances were beyond reproach: he scored three half-centuries in the Tests and an ODI century during the match in question.

In the first Test of 1994–95, Waugh hit his highest score yet,[citation needed] 140 against England at Brisbane.[6] He claimed career-best bowling figures of 5/40 in a losing team during the fourth Test at Adelaide.[7] On the subsequent tour of the West Indies, Waugh scored what Paul Reiffel described as a "nonchalant" 126 and combined with his brother for a 231-run partnership in the deciding Test at Jamaica. This set up victory and Australia's first series win over the West Indies since 1975–76.[1][8]

Waugh had a productive 1995–96 Australian summer, scoring two centuries and four half-centuries in six Tests against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.[9][1] He returned to the opening position for the ODI series after the omission of Michael Slater,[citation needed] a position he retained until his retirement. In his return to the role, Waugh scored 130 against Sri Lanka at the WACA ground. Back injuries forced him to convert to bowling off-spin during the season.

1996 World Cup

Waugh was one of the leading players at the 1996 Cricket World Cup on the Indian subcontinent. Opening the batting, he scored 130 in Australia's opening game against Kenya in Visakhapatnam, the highest World Cup score by an Australian. He followed this up with 126 against India at Bombay, and then dismissed Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar for 90 when he looked likely to win the game for his team. Waugh was named Player of the Match on both occasions. He made an unbeaten 76 against Zimbabwe at Nagpur, then scored only 30 and took 3/38 in the final group game against the West Indies at Jaipur. In the quarter-final against New Zealand at Madras, he scored his third century (110) to guide a successful Australian run chase, again winning the Player of the Match. Although he managed only 0 and 12 in the semi-final and final, Waugh finished with 484 runs at 80.66 for the tournament, second only to Tendulkar.

After failing to score a Test century against the West Indies during the 1996–97 home season,[10] Waugh made 116 against South Africa at Port Elizabeth and successfully steered Australia's run-chase on a green wicket.[11] This performance is regarded as his finest Test innings.[1] In the ODI series, he hit an unbeaten century to steer at Port Elizabeth, but missed several matches due to injury. Returning to England for his second Ashes tour in 1997, Waugh's batting was unproductive. He finished the year with 0 and 1 against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test match at Melbourne.

Consecutive centuries

In the 1997–98 Test series against South Africa, Waugh scored 100 in the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground to set up an Australian victory.[12] He batted out the entire fifth day for an unbeaten 115 in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval to deny the South Africans a victory, and win the series for Australia.[13] During this innings, he was involved in a controversial incident. Struck by a bouncer from Shaun Pollock, Waugh broke the stumps with his bat so South Africa appealed for hit wicket, which was denied. South African skipper Hansie Cronje later speared a stump through the umpires' dressing room in anger at the decision.[14] It was only the second time in his career that he had scored consecutive centuries.

Waugh's strong start to the year continued in India, when he scored his highest Test score of 153 not out in Bangalore while suffering nausea, vomiting and fever.[15] His tour of Pakistan later in the year was disrupted by an appearance in court to give evidence relating to allegations of match-fixing against Salim Malik.[16] However, he still managed to score a century at Karachi despite the distraction.[17]

Bribery scandal re-emerges

However, at the end of the year news broke that Waugh and Shane Warne had accepted money from an Indian bookmaker in exchange for pitch and weather information. Both were fined for their actions. Waugh was booed onto Adelaide Oval immediately after the scandal erupted, and apparently rattled by the reception, he batted scratchily before being dismissed. However, he ended the 1998 year with more than 1,000 Test runs.

Recovering his poise, Waugh scored 121 in the New Year's Test against England at the SCG, ending the series with 393 runs at 56.14. In the ODI series, he scored six consecutive half-centuries in a consistent run that augered well for the upcoming World Cup. His tally of 542 runs at 49.27 was the highest for the tournament. For the majority of the ODI tournament, he acted as vice-captain to Shane Warne as his brother Steve was sidelined by a hamstring strain.

1999 World Cup

During the World Cup, Waugh top-scored in vital matches during the Super Six round, scoring 83 against India at The Oval and 104 against Zimbabwe at Lord's. Waugh passed Allan Border's Australian record of 6,524 runs in ODIs during the innings, which he dedicated to his dying grandfather. He was then run out in the final Super Six match against South Africa and was dismissed in the semi-final against same team without scoring. In the final against Pakistan at Lord's, he set the tone of the match with a sideways diving catch to dismiss Wajahatullah Wasti, and was 37 not out when Darren Lehmann struck the winning runs. He is the leading Australian run-scorer in World Cups and the only Australian to have scored more than 1,000 runs, and Waugh was again dropped for poor form

He made a strong start to the 1999-2000 Australian summer, scoring 100 in the first Test against Pakistan in Brisbane, and then taking a reflex catch to dismiss Inzamam-Ul-Haq in the second Test at Bellerive Oval, Hobart. However, after a failure in the third Test in Perth, he gave a poor display in the first Test against India at the Adelaide Oval which led to calls for his axing. After being dismissed cheaply in the first innings, he came out to bat in the second innings late on the third day, and was protected from the strike by Greg Blewett, who refused to singles hit into the outfield. After being jeered, he was eventually dismissed the next day for 8, after batting almost an hour. He managed a survivalist 41 and an unbeaten half-century in the following match in Melbourne to avoid being dropped, making his 100th Test appearance in the 2000 New Year's Test in Sydney. Further poor displays in the subsequent ODI format, including an innings of 3 from 30 balls, lead to repeated calls for his omission, until he scored a 116 at Adelaide Oval on Australia Day against India to lay the foundation for Australia's largest ever total on home soil of 5 for 329. He retained his position for the tour of New Zealand, where he scored 206 runs at 41.2 in the abbreviated form of the game. He then scored an unbeaten 72 in the First Test at Eden Park to set up a victory in a low-scoring game, ending the series with 190 runs at 47.5. However, a run of seven matches during the 2000 Australian winter in which he tallied only 84 runs at 12 again saw further media speculation of impending demise.

After the being close to omission the previous season, Waugh made a good start to the 2000-01 season, scoring 119 against the West Indies in the second Test in Perth. He added two further half-centuries to total 339 runs at 48.4 as the Windies were defeated 5-0. His productive summer continued in the limited-overs format when he went on to score an Australian ODI record of 173 in the second tri-series final against the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which has recently been overtaken by Matthew Hayden (181* vs New Zealand in 2007). It was one of three ODI centuries he scored in that tournament, the others being a 112 and 102, both not out, against the West Indies and Zimbabwe respectively. In total he scored 540 runs in the series at an average of 108. As the leading run-scorer by far in the tournament, he was expected to be named Player of the Series, resulting in widespread crowd jeering when it was instead awarded to Brian Lara. Waugh was also tipped to win the Allan Border Medal due to his prolific runscoring that year. However, despite leading the player votes with 32, the umpire and media thought otherwise, awarding Steve Waugh 37 votes to Mark Waughs' 32, making Steve Waugh the winner 65-64.

The 2001 tour of India saw Australia's 16 Test winning streak come to an end when India claimed the series 2-1. Waugh scored 70 and 57 in the final Test in Chennai to finish with 149 runs at 29.8 in a difficult series. Waugh continued his fine ODI form with another century, an unbeaten 133 against India in the second ODI against India in Pune April 2001, but was forced to return home after his finger was fractured by a Javagal Srinath delivery.

Catching world record

During the 2001 Ashes series, Waugh topped the aggregates with 430 runs, scoring Test centuries at Lord's (108) and The Oval (120). He broke Mark Taylor's world record of 157 Test catches. Waugh was unable to maintain this form in the 2001–02 Australian summer: he totalled 269 (at 33.6) in six Tests against New Zealand and South Africa, without a century. Media scrutiny of his inability to combat short-pitched bowling increased and led to speculation about his long-term future in the team.

Nevertheless, he passed two major milestones: the Test at Adelaide marked the 100th Test in which both Waughs played, while the following game was his 100th consecutive Test match. Waugh and fellow opener ODI opener Adam Gilchrist both hit a batting slump during the VB series, with Waugh averaging 26 for the series and Gilchrist less. Frequent poor starts to the innings resulted in Australia's failure to qualify for the final of the tri-series for the first time in five years. Later in the year, the selectors reacted by dropping Steve and Mark Waugh, the oldest members of the team, in favour of younger players.

Final series

Maintaining his place in the Test team, Waugh toured South Africa in early 2002. Although he passed 15 in each of his innings, he managed only one half-century in his 169 runs at 33.8. In an attempt to regain form, he had a brief stint with Essex in the English county championship. In the subsequent three-Test series against Pakistan, played on neutral grounds in Sri Lanka and the UAE due to security reasons, he made only 80 runs at 20. Waugh retired from international cricket in late 2002 after being omitted for the upcoming Test series against England in favour of Darren Lehmann.

Although Mark retired as Australia's highest run-scorer and century-maker (18) in ODI cricket, these records have since been broken by Ricky Ponting. He is still however, the holder of the record for the most Test catches (181)

Mark Waugh's career performance graph.

Fielding

Waugh took a record 181 catches in Test matches, the highest for a non wicket-keeper. He primarily fielded in the second slip position whilst a fast bowler was operating. He would field at silly point whilst a spin bowler was operating, and then at first slip for a spinner following the retirement of Mark Taylor. He would also field at mid-wicket or short mid-wicket when he was not required in a close catching position, and also during ODIs.

Involvement with bookmakers

In 1993, Waugh was a member of the Australian team competing in the Hong Kong Sixes; one of the Indian team was Test all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar.[18] A report by the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2000 implicated Prabhakar for acting as a conduit for bookmakers involved in illegal cricket betting, which resulted in Prabhakar receiving a five-year suspension from the game. The report also documented allegations by Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta that Prabhakar had introduced him to Waugh during the tournament and that Waugh was paid AU$20,000 for insider information about the Australian team, pitch conditions and weather information.

When the allegations were made public by the report in November 2000, Waugh immediately pledged to co-operate with any inquiry. In January 2001, the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit and the ACB's special investigator Greg Melick requested an interview with Waugh, which his management "presently declined". Waugh received legal advice to seek further clarification of the scope of the investigation. After condemnation from the ACB and media, and the possibility of losing his contract with the ACB, Waugh agreed to the interview.[19] He was cleared in August 2001..[20]

During the Singer World Series tournament, played in Sri Lanka during September 1994, Waugh made a decision which came back to affect his career four years later. He was approached in Colombo by an Indian named "John", a bookmaker who asked him for general pitch and weather information as well as insider team information. In return, Waugh received US$4,000. The arrangement continued during the 1994–95 Australian summer, but he refused to divulge inside team information. Waugh introduced "John" to Shane Warne.[21]

On the 1994 tour of Pakistan, Waugh claimed that along with Warne and Tim May, he was offered AU$200,000 to underperform by Pakistan captain Salim Malik. The offer was in regard to an ODI played at Rawalpindi on October 22. Waugh says he rejected the bribe, and went on to score 121* from 134 deliveries in the match..[22] The trio signed a statement in early 1995 stating their claims, which were forwarded to the ICC..[23] In October 1995, a Pakistan Cricket Board inquiry led by former Pakistan Supreme Court judge Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim ruled that the allegations, "are not worthy of any credence and must be rejected as unfounded". Further, he stated that they "appear to have been concocted".[24]

However, during the 1998 tour of Pakistan, the issue was again raised, as the Government of Pakistan had initiated a separate judicial inquiry into general issues regarding the performance of the Pakistani team and allegations of illegal betting by past and former players. Waugh, along with his captain Mark Taylor and ACB CEO Malcolm Speed, were summoned to Lahore by PCB CEO Majid Khan to appear before an inquiry lead by Justice Malik Mohammed Qayyum.[25]

In December 1998, prior to the Adelaide Test match against England, news broke that Waugh and Warne were involved with "John" four years earlier and had been fined by the ACB. Both players were required to make public statements acknowledging that they had been, "naive and stupid" and reasserting that they were not involved in corruption. The players were widely condemned by the media and public, with Prime Minister of Australia John Howard stating that he felt an, "intense feeling of disappointment". Former Test player Neil Harvey called for both players to be banned.[26] In May 2000, the PCB banned Malik for life, after a recommendation from the Qayyum investigation, which concluded that Malik had attempted to bribe Waugh, Warne and May.[27]

After cricket

In 2005 Waugh was acknowledged for his services to cricket when he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). He now works as a sports journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald, and has also worked for Fox Sports, Channel Seven show Sportsworld and as a Tour Guide for Australian Sports Tours.

He was married for the first time on April 9, 2005 to Sydney Cup-winning thoroughbred trainer Kim Waugh (nee Moore).

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cashman, pp. 322–323.
  2. ^ Piesse, p. 127.
  3. ^ Piesse, pp. 125–127.
  4. ^ Piesse, p. 126.
  5. ^ Cricinfo - Records - Test matches - Hundred on debut
  6. ^ Piesse, p. 224.
  7. ^ Piesse, p. 234.
  8. ^ Piesse, pp. 64–73.
  9. ^ Piesse, pp. 225–226.
  10. ^ Piesse, pp. 226–227.
  11. ^ Piesse, pp. 122–123.
  12. ^ Piesse, p. 229.
  13. ^ Piesse, p. 229.
  14. ^ Piesse, pp. 143–144.
  15. ^ Piesse, p. 157.
  16. ^ Piesse, pp. 32–33, 165.
  17. ^ Piesse, pp. 171–172.
  18. ^ Knight, p. 171.
  19. ^ Knight, pp. 309–306.
  20. ^ Knight, p. 327.
  21. ^ Knight, pp. 184–186.
  22. ^ Knight, pp. 188–190.
  23. ^ Knight, pp. 203–204.
  24. ^ Knight, pp. 219–220.
  25. ^ Knight, pp. 273–274.
  26. ^ Knight, pp. 275–279.
  27. ^ Knight, p. 308.

References

  • Mark Waugh:the biography. {{cite book}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Missing pipe in: |first= (help)

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