Steve Waugh

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Steve Waugh

Australia
Personal information
Full name Stephen Rodger Waugh AO
Nickname Tugga, Iceman
Born 2 June 1965 (1965-06-02) (age 43)
Canterbury, New South Wales, Australia
Role Batsman
Batting style Right-handed
Bowling style Right-arm medium
International information
Test debut (cap 90) 26 December 1985: v India
Last Test 2 January 2004: v India
ODI debut (cap 335) 9 January 1986: v New Zealand
Last ODI 3 February 2002: v South Africa
ODI shirt no. 5
Domestic team information
Years Team
1984/85–2003/04 New South Wales
2002 Kent
1998 Ireland
1987–1988 Somerset
Career statistics
Tests ODI FC List A
Matches 168 325 356 436
Runs scored 10,927 7,569 24,052 11,764
Batting average 51.06 32.90 51.94 37.70
100s/50s 32/50 3/45 79/97 13/67
Top score 200 120* 216* 140*
Balls bowled 7,805 8,883 17,428 11,245
Wickets 92 195 249 257
Bowling average 37.44 34.67 32.75 33.49
5 wickets in innings 3 0 5 0
10 wickets in match 0 n/a 0 n/a
Best bowling 5/28 4/33 6/51 4/32
Catches/stumpings 112/– 111/– 273/– 150/–

As of 31 December 2004
Source: Cricinfo

Stephen Rodger Waugh, AO (born June 2, 1965 in Canterbury, New South Wales) is a former Australian cricketer who captained the Australian Test cricket team from 1999 to 2004. He is the most capped Test player in history with 168 appearances. He is known amongst friends as "Tugga" (as in tug of war, and amongst the public as "Iceman" for his ability to remain calm and cool in high-pressure situations throughout his career.[citation needed] He was named Australian of the Year in 2004.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Early internationals

Waugh made his first-class debut for New South Wales (NSW) in 1984–85,[1] batting at number nine and bowling medium pace.[citation needed] In the Sheffield Shield final that season, he scored 71[1] while batting with the tail to help NSW to victory. After nine first-class matches for NSW,[citation needed] he made his Test debut against India in the 1985–86 season, in the Second Test at Melbourne. He scored 13 and 5 and took 2/36 in the first innings.[2][3] Failing to make a substantial score in the series (he tallied 26 runs in four innings), Waugh was retained for the subsequent tour of New Zealand. He had a good all-round match in the Second Test at Christchurch, making 74 and claiming 4/56, but his batting average was only 17.40 for the series, scoring 86 runs.[3]

The Australian selectors persisted with Waugh, and he toured India in 1986, despite having scored only 113 runs at 12.56 in his Test career.[3] During the three Tests, Waugh had limited opportunities and scored 59 runs for once out and took two wickets. At this stage of his career, Waugh bore a heavy workload as a bowler although he was ostensibly selected for his batting.[citation needed] He bowled a long spell, taking 3/76, in the First Test against England at Brisbane in 1986–87, then scored 0 and 28 as Australia slumped to defeat. In the Second Test at Perth, he made 71 and had match figures of 5/159 including 5/69 in the second innings, then he scored 79 not out in the drawn Third Test at Adelaide. Scores of 49 and 73 in the last two Tests, gave him series figures of 310 runs (at 44.29) and ten wickets (at 33.60), a fighting effort in a team defeated 1–2. The win in the Fifth Test was the first time that Waugh was in a victorious Test team, in his 13th match.[3][4]

Early in his international career, Waugh was a natural, uninhibited strokeplayer who liked to drive off the back foot. He could score quickly, but was inconsistent at Test level[5] and seemed better suited to ODI cricket.[6] In the shorter game, he often accelerated the scoring in the later overs of the innings. As a bowler, he employed a carefully disguised slower ball bowled from the back of the hand,[6] and regularly sent down the final overs, when this change of pace was difficult to score from.

[edit] 1987 World Cup

The 1987 World Cup, played on the Indian subcontinent, was the turning point of Waugh’s career. Australia began the tournament as 18–1 outsiders. Against India in the first match, Waugh’s tight bowling in the closing overs finished with his dismissal of Maninder Singh in the final over, which secured a one-run victory.[6] In the following match against New Zealand, Waugh bowled the last over with the Kiwis requiring seven runs for victory: he restricted them to only three runs by taking three wickets in the over.[citation needed] Waugh hit 16 from the final over of the innings against Pakistan in the semi-final, a match that Australia won by 18 runs.[6] In the final, he was a key player as Australia defended a target of 254 against England at Kolkata. He claimed the wickets of Allan Lamb and Phillip DeFreitas in the 47th and 49th overs as Australia won by seven runs to claim the World Cup for the first time.[6] These performances in tight situations earned him the nickname of "Iceman".[4]

[edit] Breakthrough tour

However, Waugh continued to be inconsistent in Test matches. He made only 194 runs at 32.33 in five Tests in 1987–88 against the touring New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka teams.[3] His bowling helped to keep him in the team, with nine wickets at 29.67.[3] A tour of Pakistan in late 1988 was unproductive, with 92 runs at 18.40 with one half century and two wickets at 108.00.[3] In 1988–89 against the West Indies, Waugh mixed some batting failures with two entertaining innings of 90 and 91 on the faster pitches of Brisbane and Perth, respectively. He bowled a series of bouncers at Viv Richards at Brisbane and claimed 3/77 and 5/92 in the Third Test at Melbourne. Of Waugh's spell at Brisbane, Bill O'Reilly wrote:

The most significant incident of the Brisbane Test … was the salutation young Steve Waugh served up, in the form of three consecutive bouncers, to visiting captain Viv Richards … I took it immediately as an uncompromising message to the opposing skipper that Waugh was sick to death of the bouncer policy that the West Indies have for so long adopted as their standard method of attack.[7]

Heading into the 1989 Ashes series, Waugh's batting average was 30.52 from 26 Tests.[8]

Waugh finally scored his maiden Test century, 177 not out in the First Test at Leeds. It was a free flowing innings marked by square driving, in just over five hours of batting which helped Australia set the platform for a win with a large first innings. He followed this with an unbeaten 152 in the Second Test at Lord's, adeptly shepherding his tailend partners to help Australia set up a winning 242 run lead in the first innings. He was not dismissed until the fist innings of the Third Test for 43, by which time he had amassed 393 runs. Waugh scored 92 in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford in another win. He did not pass 20 in either of the last two Tests and finished the series with 506 runs at 126.5. He bowled less frequently, with only two wickets in the six Tests. It was on this tour that he first experienced back problems that would hinder his bowling. On the brief tour of India for the Nehru Cup ODI tournament that followed the Ashes series, Waugh played as a specialist batsman for the first time.[9]

As Australia returned home for the 1989/90 international season. He scored 378 runs at 37.8 in the six Tests in Australia and the one off Test in New Zealand. The highlight was an unbeaten 134 against Sri Lanka in the Second Test in Hobart. This followed twin half centuries in the First Test. His focus on batting saw him aggregate only 1/19 with the ball for the seven Tests. Thereafter his Test form taped off.

In 1990, Waugh joined his twin brother Mark in an unbeaten partnership of 464 in 407 minutes for NSW against Western Australia (WA) at the WACA Ground, setting a world first-class record. Both teams were at full strength and WA's attack included Test bowlers Terry Alderman, Bruce Reid and Chris Matthews. The twins ended with 216 adn 229 respectively.[10]

[edit] Omission

He suffered a form slump during the 1990–91 Ashes series in Australia, and was dropped for the Fourth Test at Adelaide after making only 82 runs at 20.50.[3] He was replaced by his twin Mark, who scored a century on debut.[11] Recalled for the Third Test in Trinidad during the 1991 tour of the Caribbean, he and Mark became the first twins to play in a Test match together.[11] However, he failed to post a significant score and was dropped for the Fifth Test, Australia’s only win for the series.

Waugh remained out of the team for eighteen months. He returned as number three batsman for the 1992–93 home Test series against the West Indies, but his form was again moderate. His 228 runs at 25.33 was bolstered by a score of 100 in the Third Test in Sydney. Waugh called this "probably the most important hundred of my Test career ... word had reached me that if I didn't get runs, then I was going to be dropped".[12]

Solid performances on the tour of New Zealand, where he scored 178 runs at 44.5, enabled Waugh to hold his position on the 1993 Ashes tour of England. During the series, Michael Slater became the regular opener and Boon returned to the middle order. Waugh gained the number six position ahead of two promising Western Australians, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn. In the Fourth Test at Headingley, Waugh's 157 not out earned comparisons to his efforts in 1989 and he shared an unbroken stand of 332 with Allan Border.[13] He also scored half-centuries in the First and Fifth Tests and ended with 416 at 83.2 from limited opportunities — he played nine innings, only five of which were completed. Australia’s top order batting dominated the English attack, and the tourists retained the Ashes 4–1.

[edit] New approach

Returning to Australia, he solidified his position by scoring an unbeaten 147 against New Zealand in an innings victory in the Third Test at Brisbane, ending the series with 216 runs once dismissed.[3] He missed the majority of the 1993–94 triangular ODI tournament with New Zealand and South Africa due to a hamstring injury in late December, as well as the first two Tests against the South Africans. He returned for the Third Test at Adelaide Oval in late January with Australia trailing 1–0.[citation needed] He scored a 160 and took 4/26 as Australia won the Test and levelled the series.[3] He was named as the international player of the [Australian] season

He took 5/28 and scored 86 in the Second Test of the return series in South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town to help Australia level the series 1–1 after losing the first at Wanderers in Johannesburg. Another half century saw him end with 195 runs at 65.00 and his bowling was at its most productive in five years, with 10 wickets at 13. In the ODI series, he received the player of the series for his all-round efforts, which hauled Australia back from a deficit of 2–4 to draw the series at 4–4.[14]

At the conclusion of the tour, the ACB interviewed Waugh, along with David Boon, Mark Taylor and Ian Healy to discern their opinions on the direction of the team after the impending retirement of Allan Border as captain. Although more experienced than Taylor, Waugh was not considered for the captaincy. Surprisingly, Healy was made vice-captain to Taylor ahead of Waugh.[15]

The new leadership took the team to Sri Lanka for the Singer World Series ODI tournament and then on a Test-playing tour of Pakistan.[citation needed] On the latter tour, Waugh made 73 in the First Test, which Australia agonisingly lost by one wicket.[3] His 98 in the Second Test at Rawalpindi was notable for his survival against a hostile barrage of short-pitched bowling from Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. He eventually fell when a bouncer struck his body and rolled onto the stumps.[16][17] A shoulder injury forced him out of the final Test, which Australia drew and therefore lost the series.[18]

During the 1994–95 Ashes series against England, he narrowly missed centuries in the Second and Fifth Test in Melbourne and Perth respectively, when he was 94 and 99 not out respectively when the last wicket fell.[3][19] In the second instance, his brother Mark was run out after a mix-up while running for the injured Craig McDermott.[citation needed] It was an uneven series performance, scoring 94* and 26* in the Second Test and 99* and 80 in the Fifth, but not passing 20 in the six innings of the other three Tests. He ended the series with 345 at 49.28 and did not bowl for the entire series.[3]

[edit] Worrell Trophy regained, 1995

Curtly Ambrose, the West Indian bowler with whom Waugh had a much-publicised altercation during the 1995 Frank Worrell Trophy.
Curtly Ambrose, the West Indian bowler with whom Waugh had a much-publicised altercation during the 1995 Frank Worrell Trophy.

The West Indies had been the bête noire of Australian cricket since winning the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1978. At the beginning of Australia's 1995 tour of the Caribbean, the West Indies had not lost a Test series since 1980,[20] and had not lost a Test series to Australia at home since 1973.[21] In a low-scoring, four-Test series, Waugh compiled 429 runs at an average of 107.25 and claimed five wickets (for 62 runs)[3] to win the player of the series award; his twin Mark was the next best batsman with 240 runs at 40 average.

Waugh was at the centre of a controversy during the First Test at Barbados when he claimed a low catch from Brian Lara in the first innings. Television replays were inconclusive, but suggested that the ball may have hit the ground. Lara, noted for accepting the word of the fielder without question, left the field.[22] Following his dismissal, the West Indies' batting collapsed, and Australia went on to win by ten wickets.[23] Waugh later faced accusations of dishonesty and cheating over the incident.[6]

After scoring 65 not out in the drawn Second Test at Antigua,[3] Waugh defied the Caribbean pacemen on a green pitch at Trinidad suited to their hostile bowling during the Third Test.[24] In the first innings, he scored an unbeaten 63 of Australia's 128 and had a mid-pitch confrontation with Curtly Ambrose.[6][25] After Ambrose had beaten Waugh with a short delivery, they exchanged glares. Waugh swore and told Ambrose to return to his bowling mark. An angry Ambrose had to be physically dragged away by his captain:[26] a photograph of this moment has become one of the iconic images of cricket in the 1990s. It symbolised the point when Australia was no longer intimidated by the West Indies. Waugh "showed he was prepared to put it all on the line," said Justin Langer, "in the toughest conditions [...] against probably the best fast bowler of our time. To stand up to him [Ambrose] and go toe to toe [...] gave us a huge boost."[27]

Nevertheless, the West Indies won the match and levelled the series. In the decider in Jamaica, Waugh took 2/14 in the West Indies' first innings of 265[3] and then arrived at the crease with Australia at 73 for three in reply.[28] He compiled a long partnership of 231 runs with his brother Mark, who was eventually out for 126.[11][29] Waugh was the last man to go, out for 200 after nine hours of batting. "Steve had made up his mind to bat and bat," wrote Paul Reiffel, "to stay out there and anchor the proceedings. [... H]e copped a lot of blows on his arms, chest and ribs. When he came back to the dressing room at the end of day two, we could see the spots and bruises on his body [...]. I remember when I walked in [...] he didn't say anything to me, but then he didn't need to. We all pretty much knew that we just had to support him.

"He was in a trance-like state. [... I]n the wee hours of the second morning, a security guard was found rifling through Steve's kit bag. That incident [...] didn't affect his concentration. It all [...] just went to show how strong a character he was."[30]

Waugh played patiently and reached his double century with an all-run four to fine-leg off a quicker ball from Carl Hooper. He was the last man out. With a large lead on first innings, Australia dismissed the opposition for a low score to win a crushing victory.[31]

After some post-win wassailing, Waugh retired to bed in his cricket whites, socks and baggy green. "[Y]ou could say that Steve's legacy gained a lot of momentum from his efforts at Jamaica," wrote Reiffel.[32]

[edit] No 1 batsman

Waugh started the 1995–96 Australian season ranked as the world’s leading Test batsman.[citation needed] He made an unbeaten 112 as Australia defeated Pakistan in the First Test at Brisbane and scored 200 runs at 50.00 for the series.[3][25] Suffering an injury in December, he missed the First Test against Sri Lanka and part of the triangular ODI tournament, then returned for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne to score 131 not out.[33] During the latter stages of the triangular tournament, he scored his maiden ODI century, ten years after his ODI debut. He helped Australia to a 3–0 result in the Test series by scoring 170 and 61 not out at Adelaide to end the series with 362 runs for once out. He also took 4/34 in the Third Test.[33][3]

During the 1996 Cricket World Cup on the subcontinent, Waugh scored 82 and featured in a 207-run partnership with his brother during Australia’s first match against Kenya: an Australian record partnership at the World Cup. He made an unbeaten half-century in the quarter-final against New Zealand at Madras, sealing a successful run chase. However, he was less effective in the semi-final and final, failing to pass 20 on either occasion. Australia lost the final to Sri Lanka at Lahore.

Waugh failed to make a century in the first six Tests of the 1996–97 season against India and the West Indies, scoring 255 runs at 36.42 with three half centuries.[6][3] He also missed the Second Test against the West Indies after injuring a groin in the First.

Waugh returned to form on the 1997 tour of South Africa, averaging 78.25. He scored 160 in the First Test at Johannesburg, compiling a 309-run partnership with Greg Blewett. They batted for the entire third day’s play to set up an innings victory. Waugh then top scored with half-centuries in both innings of the Third Test, which Australia lost. After the team's vice-captain Ian Healy was suspended for throwing his bat after his dismissal,[citation needed] Waugh replaced him as Mark Taylor’s deputy.[33]

On the 1997 Ashes tour, Australia lost the First Test by nine wickets, drew the Second Test, then won the toss in the Third Test at Manchester. Gambling on batting first on green pitch, Australia slumped to 3/42 in the first hour when Waugh came out to bat. He made 108. Similarly, he began his second innings with Australia on 3/39 and scored 116. These two centuries in a low-scoring match won the game. Australia levelled the series and regained the initiative, retaining the Ashes with a 3–2 result. Waugh’s only other notable score was 75, scored in the Fifth Test win at Nottingham, and he finished with 390 runs at 39 average for the series.

[edit] Captaincy

[edit] ODI captain

Waugh took over the captaincy of the one-day side in 1997–98, after captain Mark Taylor and vice-captain Ian Healy, the two oldest players in the team were dropped[34] following Australia's failure to qualify for the Australian tri-nations tournament in the 1996–97 season.[citation needed] Planning began for a more modern team for the 1999 Cricket World Cup,[34] with new wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist chosen primarily on his batting skill in response to the use of Romesh Kaluwitharana by the successful 1996 Sri Lankan team.[citation needed] The new team made a difficult start, losing all four of its preliminary matches against South Africa[35] as Michael di Venuto, Tom Moody and Stuart Law were all tried as Mark Waugh's new opening partner.[36] However, with Gilchrist's elevation to opener in the finals series, Australia defeated the South Africans 2–1.[37]

Stencil drawing depicting Steve Waugh
Stencil drawing depicting Steve Waugh

Waugh scored steadily in the 1997–98 Test season against New Zealand and South Africa, getting to 80 three times in six Tests without going on to a century and averaging 40.89; Australia won both series. He bowled more often than in the preceding few years and took six wickets at 17.33. On the 1998 tour of India, he hit 80 in the Second Test at Calcutta, but missed the following Test due to injury. He ended with 152 runs at 38. Later in the year, he top scored with 157 in the First Test against Pakistan at Karachi, enabling Australia to force an innings victory and gain their first victory in the country for 39 years. It formed the basis of Australia's 1–0 series win, in which Waugh scored 235 runs at 58.75.

The following season, Waugh suffered hamstring injuries and missed the majority of the ODI tournament. Shane Warne led Australia to victory in his absence. Waugh began the Ashes series with centuries in the First Test at Brisbane (112) and the Third Test at Melbourne but was criticised for taking singles off the first ball of the over, and exposing the tail-end batsmen to the strike. Stuart MacGill and Glenn McGrath fell to Darren Gough after one such instance as Australia collapsed in the second innings whilst chasing a small target. This criticism could be considered more than a little unfair, however, given his strong record overall of batting well with lower order batsman such as Merv Hughes, Jason Gillespie, Ian Healy, Shane Warne and even Glenn McGrath precisely by putting his faith in them. In the Fifth Test of the season, Waugh was involved in a century partnership with brother Mark for the second consecutive year. Again however, he fell within sight of triple figures for 96, while his brother reached his century. Australia won the Test and the series 3–1.

[edit] Struggles in the Caribbean

Mark Taylor retired at the end of the 1998–99 season and Waugh replaced him as Test captain, beginning with a tour of the Caribbean. Australia was expected to win as the West Indies had just been whitewashed 5–0 by South Africa.[citation needed] After easily winning the First Test, Australia was stymied by West Indies skipper Brian Lara, who batted with Jimmy Adams for the entire second day of the Second Test. This led to a victory for the home side, and in the Third Test, Lara batted for the entire final day to secure an unlikely win by one wicket. This result placed Waugh under immense pressure and he made a controversial decision to drop Shane Warne from the team for the final Fourth Test.[citation needed] Australia won the final Test despite a third consecutive century from Lara, and retained the Frank Worrell Trophy 2–2.[38]

The subsequent ODI series between the two teams was drawn 3–3.[39] The series was notable for two incidents. In the fifth match at Georgetown, Guyana,[40] Waugh was facing the bowling of Keith Arthurton with his team needing four runs from the final over to win.[citation needed] He struck the last ball of the match into the outfield, and attempted three runs to tie the match.[40] A crowd invasion resulted in all the stumps being removed, with Waugh out of his ground when the ball was returned by the fielder. The match was declared a tie.[40] During the West Indies run-chase in the final match in Barbados, local batsman Sherwin Campbell was run out after he collided with the bowler (Brendon Julian) who was attempting to field the ball.[40] This resulted in a crowd riot and Waugh was nearly struck in the head with a glass bottle.[39] The match continued after Campbell was reinstated, but Waugh criticised the security and questioned the integrity of the match.

[edit] 1999 World Cup victory

Australia then had a slow start to the 1999 World Cup in England. After a scratchy win against Scotland, Australia suffered defeats to New Zealand and Pakistan,[41] so they had to win their two remaining group matches (against Bangladesh and the West Indies), then all three "Super Six" matches to progress to the semi-finals: this meant seven consecutive matches without defeat to win the World Cup.[42] After defeating Bangladesh, Waugh and Michael Bevan were criticised for deliberately batting slowly in order to minimise damage to the net run rate of the West Indies. This would enhance Australia's chances: if the West Indies' run rate remained high, they would qualify ahead of New Zealand. Since the Australians had lost to New Zealand, it would be the Kiwis that carried two points through to the next phase if the West Indies was eliminated.[43]

When questioned about the ethics of this manipulation at a press conference, Waugh retorted, "We're not here to make friends, we're here to win the World Cup".[citation needed] Having beaten India and Zimbabwe in their first two Super Six matches, Waugh saved his best for two must-win games against South Africa: he scored an unbeaten 120 against South Africa in the "Super Six" phase and 56 in the semi-final.[35] The latter match was tied and Australia progressed to the final,[44] where they crushed Pakistan by eight wickets to win the trophy.[45]

The World Cup victory did not immediately turn around Waugh's fortunes in the Test arena. The following tour to Sri Lanka continued the difficulties, when Australia lost the First Test at Kandy,[citation needed] a result exacerbated by a horrific fielding collision between Waugh and Jason Gillespie. Waugh's nose made contact with Gillespie's shin as both attempted a catch. Gillespie suffered a broken leg[46] that sidelined him for 15 months,[citation needed] and Waugh had his nose broken.[46][47] Although Waugh returned for the following match,[46] the last two Tests were drawn due to interruptions from monsoonal weather.[citation needed] In losing 0–1, the Australians struggled to combat the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan.[48] Waugh's team then travelled an inaugural Test against Zimbabwe at Harare. Australia won by ten wickets and Waugh's 151 not out was the first century in Tests between the nations.[46][49] After the team's return home, John Buchanan replaced Geoff Marsh as team coach.

[edit] World record of 16 consecutive Test victories

The 1999–00 Test season, his first as captain in a home series, saw further change as Gilchrist ousted Healy from the wicket-keeper's position.[46] With Gilchrist averaging over 50,[citation needed] the team went on to claim a clean-sweep of both Test series, 3–0 against Pakistan and India respectively.[50] After losing their first match, his team proceeded to win the triangular ODI tournament without further defeat. They then toured New Zealand and won the ODI series 5–1, losing their final match, which ended a world record of 14 consecutive ODI victories.[51] The they swept the Tests against New Zealand 3–0 in early 2000.[52] His team one This was followed by an undefeated home season in 2000–01 when the West Indies were white-washed 5–0. The Second Test at the WACA Ground brought a twelfth consecutive Test victory, surpassing the record held by the 1980s West Indies team led by Clive Lloyd.[53] Ricky Ponting's side equalled the record in 2005–2008.[citation needed] Waugh also led the Australians undefeated in the triangular ODI tournament against the West Indies and Zimbabwe, despite employing a rotation system which saw the team often understrength with players rested.[54]

[edit] Failure in India

Harbhajan Singh was man of the series in the 2000–01 Border Gavaskar Trophy, playing a large part in stopping Australia's winning Test run.
Harbhajan Singh was man of the series in the 2000–01 Border Gavaskar Trophy, playing a large part in stopping Australia's winning Test run.

The only significant result that Australia had failed to achieve during Waugh's international career was victory in a Test series in India. Waugh began calling this the "Final Frontier"[citation needed] as Australia had not won there since 1969–70.[55] Australia easily won the First Test at Mumbai by ten wickets to extend the winning sequence to 16.[56][57] India, looked set for defeat in the Second Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata after after conceding a first innings lead of 274. Waugh chose to enforce the follow-on, but V. V. S. Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180)[56] batted for the entire fourth day's play and set Australia a target of 384 on a dusty, spinning wicket. The Australians were unable to cope with the spin of Harbhajan Singh on the final day, and became only the third team to lose a Test after enforcing the follow-on.[58][59][60] Starting the final Test well, Australia's batting collapsed on the second morning, losing 6/26 after Waugh became the sixth batsman to be given out handled the ball — he pushed a ball from Harbhajan away from the stumps after being hit on the pads.[61][62] Harbhajan finished with 15 wickets in the match as India won by two wickets in another thrilling finish.[63][64]

Waugh's team regrouped and won a 4–1 series victory over England during the 2001 Ashes tour.[65] Waugh was absent injured for the single loss in the Fourth Test at Headingley.[66] In his final Test innings on English soil at The Oval, he combined with brother Mark (120) in a partnership of 197, and scored 157 not out.[66] Waugh scored 321 runs at 107.00 during the series.[65] He was unable to maintain this form during the 2001–02 Australian season, failing to score a century in the six Tests against New Zealand and South Africa;[3] his best was 90 in the Second Test against South Africa at Melbourne. [3] His innings was ended by a run out decision, which the umpire did not refer to the video umpire. Waugh attracted criticism for not leaving the ground until he had watched a replay of the incident on the stadium's video screen.[citation needed] New Zealand held Australia to a 0–0 draw in a rain-marred series, but Australia accounted for South Africa by 3–0.[3]

[edit] ODI captaincy changed

Australia made an uncertain start to the triangular ODI tournament, losing the first three of its preliminary matches. A rotation policy designed to ease the workload on older players while giving younger players experience appeared to unsettle the team, and was scrapped. Following this decision, Australia won three of the last five matches, but failed to qualify for the finals for only the third time in 23 years. In their final match, Australia needed a win and a bonus point against South Africa as New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, in retaliation to Waugh’s tactics in the World Cup, had conceded a bonus point to South Africa in the previous match.[67] The team's performance caused a reaction similar that of 1997. With an eye toward the next World Cup, the selectors dropped the Waugh brothers and handed the captaincy to Ricky Ponting. Waugh made his displeasure at the decision public and stated a desire to regain his place in the side.[68]

Continuing as Test captain, Waugh led the team to a 2–1 victory in South Africa to retain Australia's ranking as the number one team. His own form was poor,[69] and he left the tour once the ODI series began. Arriving in Australia alone, he faced media questioning over his playing future. Waugh's reply was, “We’ve just beaten the next best team in the world 5–1, and all you want to talk about is getting me out of the team.”

The speculation continued about the future of both Waugh brothers in the lead up to the Test series against Pakistan played in mid-2002. The matches were hosted in the UAE and Sri Lanka, due to security concerns over playing Pakistan. Australia had a crushing 3–0 win, but the Waughs had little influence on the result. However, Steve Waugh hit 103 not out in his last innings of the series, after scoring consecutive ducks. This may have saved his career; his brother was dropped for the 2002–03 Ashes series and promptly announced his retirement from international cricket.

Despite his team being well on top, Waugh struggled in the early part of the series and he scored only 106 runs in the first three matches. In the Fourth Test, he scored 77 in the first innings and took his first Test wicket in four years: he did not bowl often after his appointment as captain. However, his score of 14 in the second innings was characterised by many inside edges and false strokes led to increased speculation that he would be dropped.

Asked before the final Test to nominate the defining moment of his career, Waugh made a prediction rather than reflecting, and said: "It might be yet to come". On the second day of the match, he scored a chanceless century, bringing up three figures with a cover driven boundary from the last ball of the day from Richard Dawson.[70] Waugh left the ground to a standing ovation. In the second innings, Australia faced a large target and slumped to a heavy defeat on a deteriorating pitch, its only loss of the series. When he was dismissed cheaply in the second innings, Waugh ran off the field, as the crowd gave him a standing ovation in the expectation that he would retire after what was regarded as a fairytale century.

The 2003 Cricket World Cup came and Waugh's desire to return for a fifth World Cup was denied. A chance for a last minute reprieve came when all rounder Shane Watson was injured before the tournament. Waugh had been using his newspaper column to promote his bowling abilities and had been increasingly using himself as a bowler in an attempt to strengthen his case for a recall. However, his successor Ricky Ponting publicly called for the inclusion of then out of form Andrew Symonds. Ponting got his wish, and although the selection was regarded as being highly controversial at the time, Symonds established himself at international level with a series of match winnings innings.

In the April 2003 tour to the West Indies, Waugh made 25 in the First Test and did not bat in the Second, before scoring 115 in the Third Test victory. He scored 41 and 45* in the Fourth to end the series with 226 runs at 75.33. Australia won the series 3–1, but Waugh received some criticism over claims he refused to control his players. This came after a heated confrontation between Glenn McGrath and West Indian batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan as the home team headed towards their only win of the series.

The Australian winter of 2003 saw Waugh score consecutive centuries of 100 and 156 as Australia took a 2–0 sweep over Bangladesh with innings victories. After scoring 78 and 61 in the two Tests against Zimbabwe, Waugh announced that the 2003–04 series against India would be his last.

[edit] Farewell season

Steve Waugh's career performance graph.
Steve Waugh's career performance graph.

In the First Test, he was involved in a controversial run out when he had a mix up with Damien Martyn and both players ended up at the same end. Martyn, who had established himself at the crease, sacrificed himself by walking out of his ground for Waugh, who had yet to score. This generated criticism that Waugh’s farewell series was being put ahead of team victory. With long bowling spearheads Shane Warne and McGrath unavailable due to drugs suspension and injury respectively, Australia struggled to bowl out the Indian batsmen. After a rain affected draw in the First Test, the next two Tests were shared and Australia needed a win to reclaim the Border Gavaskar Trophy in the final Fourth Test at Waugh's home ground at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Promoters paid tribute to Waugh by handing out giant red handkerchiefs to incoming spectators; Waugh had always used a red handkerchief to wipe perspiration while he was batting. Any hope of a fairytale win for Waugh's Australians was snuffed out when Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, with whom Waugh had many highly publicised confrontations allowed his team to bat into the third morning and amass 7/705. He then made Australia chase an improbable 449 with just over one day's play. Waugh's highest Test score of the season was his last: 80 in the Fourth Test at Sydney, which secured a draw for Australia. After a typically obdurate start to his innings, he took a more aggressive style once Australia had moved into a position of safety, striking several sixes from his trademark slog-sweep shot much to the delight of the crowd. Ironically, it was the highest fourth innings score of his Test career. When he passed 50, several ferries on Sydney Harbour sounded their horns in acknowledgement. A record fifth-day SCG crowd turned out to watch Waugh's final day as an Australian player.

[edit] Legacy

Waugh turned an already successful side into a dominant one that in many cricket watchers' views ranks with Sir Donald Bradman's 1948 Invincibles and the West Indian teams of the 1980s as one of the best cricket teams of all time. Steve Waugh's ruthless approach led to a succession of drubbings of hapless, outclassed opposition and a record run of 16 consecutive Test match wins, easily eclipsing the previous record of 11 by the West Indies. His 168 test matches is the record for test matches played, of these he captained Australia on 57 occasions the fourth highest of all time, and Australia's 41 victories under his leadership is the most of any Test captain. He holds the unique record of having scored over 150 runs in one innings against each test playing nation at the time.

[edit] Style

A shot that he gradually developed (during the 1998 Commonwealth Games specifically) against spin bowling, the "slog sweep" is theoretically technically unsound, but has proven highly effective against the spinners and even against faster bowlers at times. What was also noticeable about Waugh (particularly in the test arena) on his return to the side was his reluctance (and eventual refusal) to play the 'risky' hook shot, rather simply to either play defensively on the back foot, sway or duck out of the way. With this shot removed from Waugh's repertoire his batting developed a safer more reliable look and his test match batting average steadily rose to around 50 for the remainder of his test career.

Waugh's ability to continue to play despite a back injury that largely prevented him bowling further enhanced his reputation. Waugh, along with the bowling of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, provided perhaps the major foundation upon which the Australian team rose to become what was widely regarded as the best team in the world by the mid-1990s[citation needed]. He contributed to many one day victories but, often batting in the middle order, his first one-day hundred did not come until his 187th match, for Australia against Sri Lanka at Melbourne in 1995-96.

[edit] Outside cricket

Waugh helps to raise funds for a leper children's colony, "Udayan", in Calcutta. He reportedly also encouraged his players to learn about and enjoy the countries they visited and played in, presumably partly to reduce the siege mentality of some previous Australian teams playing in south Asia.

Waugh is a keen photographer and has produced several "tour diaries" which feature his images. In his latter years as a cricketer, he has written for a number of newspapers. He insists on writing them himself rather than with the assistance of professional journalists. Steve Waugh was recently stated in an article as commenting: "If you don't help people who are in need, it's just not cricket". He is also a prolific author and his ever expanding series of tour diaries and thoughts provide an insight into the mind of Steve Waugh. Recently, he has written an auto-biography called Out of my comfort zone, a book which has brought lots of controversy.

Waugh was named Australian of the Year in 2004, in recognition of both his sporting achievements and charity work. Waugh is married to Lynette with three children and was named Australian Father of the Year in 2005.

Waugh will work as an athletics liaison officer for Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[71]

Waugh has been touted as a potential viable candidate for Australian government elections, although he personally disavows any political plans. Recently, rumours were published in Crikey that Waugh might be the Australian Labor Party candidate for the seat of Bennelong, although subsequently Maxine McKew was nominated.

He was also involved with the Australian Football side during the Asian Cup, assisting the team as a psychological mentor

[edit] Honours

He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal on 14 July 2000.

He was awarded the Australian of the Year award in 2004, for his cricketing feats also for his work with charities, most noticably, Udayan Home in Barrackpore, India, helping children suffring with leprosy.

In the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2003, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), "for service to cricket as a leading player, and to the community, particularly through the Udayan children's home".

He is an Australian Living Treasure.

[edit] Books authored

  • Waugh, Steve (2005). Out of my comfort zone : the autobiography. Camberwell, Victoria: Viking. ISBN 0-670-04198-X. 

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Perry, p. 349.
  2. ^ Perry, p. 350.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Statsguru - SR Waugh - Tests - Innings by innings list. Cricinfo. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  4. ^ a b Perry, p. 351.
  5. ^ Cricinfo
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Cashman, pp. 323–324.
  7. ^ Egan, p 42.
  8. ^ Cricinfo.com: Statsguru.
  9. ^ Egan, p 61.
  10. ^ Cashman, p. 322.
  11. ^ a b c Cashman, p. 322.
  12. ^ Sydney Morning Herald": Steve Waugh writes.
  13. ^ Wisden, 1994 edition: 4th Test England v Australia, match report.
  14. ^ Egan, p. 108.
  15. ^ Egan, p. 109.
  16. ^ Egan, p. 111.
  17. ^ Piesse, pp. 28–29.
  18. ^ Piesse, p. 30.
  19. ^ Piesse, p. 224.
  20. ^ Reiffel: We'll take it from here.
  21. ^ Piesse, p. 64.
  22. ^ Piesse, p. 66.
  23. ^ Piesse, p. 67.
  24. ^ Piesse, p. 69.
  25. ^ a b Perry, p. 354.
  26. ^ Piesse, p. 70.
  27. ^ Quoted in Reiffel: We'll take it from here.
  28. ^ Piesse, p. 71.
  29. ^ Piesse, p. 72.
  30. ^ Reiffel: We'll take it from here.
  31. ^ Piesse, p. 73.
  32. ^ Reiffel: We'll take it from here.
  33. ^ a b c Perry, p. 355.
  34. ^ a b Knight, p. 263.
  35. ^ a b Statsguru - SR Waugh - ODIs - Innings by innings list. Cricinfo. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  36. ^ Knight, p. 264.
  37. ^ Knight, p. 265.
  38. ^ Knight, pp. 288–289.
  39. ^ a b Knight, p. 291.
  40. ^ a b c d Knight, p. 290.
  41. ^ Knight, p. 291.
  42. ^ Knight, p. 292.
  43. ^ Knight, p. 293.
  44. ^ Knight, p. 294.
  45. ^ Knight, p. 296.
  46. ^ a b c d e Knight, p. 299.
  47. ^ ACB: Jason Gillespie and Stephen Waugh injury update.
  48. ^ Wisden, 2001 edition: The Australians in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe 1999–2000.
  49. ^ Wisden, 2001 edition: Inaugural Test Zimbabwe v Australia, match report.
  50. ^ Knight, pp. 300–302.
  51. ^ Knight, p. 303.
  52. ^ Knight, p. 304.
  53. ^ Knight, pp. 310–311.
  54. ^ Knight, p. 312.
  55. ^ Knight, pp. 268–271.
  56. ^ a b Knight, p. 322.
  57. ^ 1st Test: India v Australia at Mumbai, 27 Feb-3 Mar 2001 Ball-by-Ball commentary. Cricinfo. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
  58. ^ 2nd Test: India v Australia at Calcutta 11-15 Mar 2001. Cricinfo. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
  59. ^ "Incredible India defeat Australia", BBC, 2001-03-15. Retrieved on 2007-03-02. 
  60. ^ Tests - Victory after Following-On. Cricinfo. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
  61. ^ Tests - Unusual Dismissals. Cricinfo. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
  62. ^ "Indian batsmen on top", BBC, 2001-03-19. Retrieved on 2007-03-02. 
  63. ^ Knight, p. 323.
  64. ^ 3rd Test: India v Australia at Chennai, 18-22 Mar 2001 Ball-by-Ball Commentary. Cricinfo. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
  65. ^ a b Knight, p. 329.
  66. ^ a b Knight, p. 328.
  67. ^ Wisden, 2003 edition: VB Series 2001–02.
  68. ^ ABC TV: 7.30 Report 13 February 2002 (transcript).
  69. ^ Wisden, 2003 edition: The Australians in South Africa 2001–02.
  70. ^ 5th Test: Australia v England at Sydney, 2-6 Jan 2003 Commentary from Cricinfo
  71. ^ Waugh secures Beijing 2008 role

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Cricket Portal

[edit] External links

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Australia squad - 1999 Cricket World Cup (2nd title)
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Persondata
NAME Waugh, Stephen Rodger
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Cricketer
DATE OF BIRTH June 2, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH Canterbury, New South Wales
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH