International career Mark Waugh

1 international career

1.1 debut years
1.2 test century on debut
1.3 run of bad form
1.4 odi opener
1.5 bribery claims
1.6 1996 world cup
1.7 consecutive centuries
1.8 bribery scandal re-emerges
1.9 1999 world cup
1.10 close omission , 100th test match
1.11 return form
1.12 catching world record
1.13 final series

international career
debut years

waugh seeking force way australian team @ start of 1988–89 season. started poorly, duck , 18 against queensland , not taking wicket. in next match made duck , appeared in control in second innings when run out 46. faced touring west indies, waugh dismissed 9 in first innings. in second innings, waugh bounced score unbeaten 103 163 balls against undisputed world champions, earning praise captain viv richards. in following match against tasmania, waugh out duck attempting cut shot, made 100 not out in second innings. scored 69 , 39 against western australia. waugh overlooked test selection, selected in odi squad start of triangular tournament against west indies , pakistan. first time twins played international cricket australia.

waugh made odi debut against pakistan @ adelaide oval on december, did not bat or bowl australia took nine-wicket victory. 2 days later against west indies @ scg, waugh took first odi catch when caught gordon greenidge peter taylor. batted first time, partnering brother during run chase, scoring 18 19 balls. steve run out, occur multiple times while batted together. australia lost 1 run. waugh made 32 in next match against west indies, , again steve run out while batting together. waugh omitted next 3 odis returned make 12 against pakistan before scoring 42 53 in final round-robin match against west indies. waugh omitted first final, australia won 2 runs, before replacing simon o donnell in second match. took 2 catches in second match , scored 22 , 5 australia lost both concede series. waugh ended first international series 131 runs @ 21.83.

waugh returned australia in preparation 1989–90 season, having been overlooked odi squad nehru cup in india. @ start of season, australian selectors wanted waugh tighten before selected tests. selected odi season in 1990, scoring 14 in second final australia won series, , overlooked of new zealand tour in march 1990.

test century on debut

at age of 25, picked test debut in 1990–91, resulted in mixed emotions: place in team game came @ expense of out-of-form brother, had scored 82 runs @ 20.50 series. playing against england in fourth test @ adelaide oval, waugh came crease in first innings on first day australia in trouble @ 4/104. situation deteriorated when australia fell 5/126 , greg matthews joined waugh @ crease. pair batted until end of day , waugh brought century square drive late on first day. made him fifteenth australian make century on debut. phil wilkins of sydney morning herald wrote such maiden test century hardly have been surpassed commanding presence . waugh lauded style , elegance of innings. waugh ended day @ 116 not out , bowled on second morning 138 paceman devon malcolm end 171-run stand matthews. innings had taken 188 deliveries , featured heavy scoring through leg-side flicks. waugh made 23 in second innings , took first test catch, mike atherton, caught bowling of bruce reid. match drawn , waugh experienced first test victory when scored 26 in fifth test @ perth australia sealed series 3–0. performances saw him selected 1991 tour of west indies, play in 5 tests , 5 odis against world s powerful team. australia had not won test series in caribbean 18 years against team known physically intimidating fast bowlers.

in first tour match against jamaica, waugh felled bouncer courtney walsh, recovered score century despite presence of teammate s spilt blood on pitch. waugh scored 67 66 balls in first odi @ sabina park in kingston, jamaica australia took 1–0 lead. odi series interrupted first test, @ sabina park. waugh scored 39 in rain-affected draw, later admitting having felt out of depth against hostile fast bowling—blood spilt on both sides. odi series resumed , after consecutive matches without passing 20, waugh played large part in victory in fourth match gave australia series win. scored 49 37 balls , took 3/34 seal 37-run win. ended series 156 runs @ 31.20 , 8 wickets @ 18.25. test series resumed , waugh scored 71 in second test australia lost ten wickets.

the brothers played first test match in third test @ queens park oval, trinidad, first time twins had played in same test match. waugh top-scored 64 in first innings of rain-affected draw, before taking first test wicket, curtly ambrose. admitted pleased weather prevented him having spend more time facing west indian pacemen. did not pass 20 in fourth test @ bridgetown, barbados, west indies retained frank worrell trophy 2–0 343-run victory. successful bowler in second innings, taking 4/80, including wicket of viv richards. bowling included short-pitched bowling, reasoning australians going bounced anyway.

in fifth test of series @ st. john s, antigua, waugh made 139 not out 188 balls. devising different strategy of combating short-pitched bowling, waugh backed away stumps , sliced bowlers on slips cordon. shielding tailenders west indies fast bowlers, still managed score century between tea , stumps. reached century in 133 minutes , unbeaten @ end of innings 11 fours , 3 sixes. australia made 403 in first day , went on win match. waugh ended test series 367 runs @ 61.17, best among australians, in addition taking 8 wickets @ 22.83.

run of bad form

during 1991–92 australian summer, waugh hit patch of bad form. dropped odi team in part of season, omitted test team in favour of tom moody fifth test against india @ perth. following recall odi in place of injured bruce reid, waugh scored 20 runs @ 6.67.

he part of team failed make semi-finals of world cup, did not play entire tournament due poor form. after scoring 2 in opening match against new zealand @ eden park, dropped 3 games, played in last 4 matches. best effort unbeaten 66 39 balls against zimbabwe @ bellerive oval. on tour of sri lanka followed, waugh returned test team , scored 5 , 56 in first test followed 4 consecutive ducks.

a score of 112 @ mcg in second test of 1992–93 helped set australian victory , 1–0 lead in frank worrell trophy series against west indies. during season s world series cup, scored half-century , took 5/24 australia defended small total.

odi opener

after 2 unproductive tests on 1993 new zealand tour, waugh dropped third test, time in favour of younger damien martyn. in odi series, australian opted new strategy, , promoted waugh open batting. scored 60 , 57 in first 2 matches set australian victory, scored maiden odi century, 108 @ hamilton. score of 83 in final match made him leading batsman of series 308 runs @ 61.60.

in second test @ lord s—the spiritual home of cricket— waugh started on 6 1 second morning scored reach 99. looking century during on phil tufnell. tufnell employing customary defensive approach of pitching ball outside leg stump leg side field. first ball half-volley , waugh hit straight middle of bat. however, ball hit short leg fielder in shins. later in over, leg side ball hit pads, rolled between legs , onto stumps, meaning waugh missed out on century.

tufnell dismissed him more ten times in test matches utilising tactic. century against new zealand in hobart brought waugh s total 987 test runs calendar year.

bribery claims

starting 1994 well, waugh named player of finals against south africa in world series cup , scored century against same opponents in drawn third test @ durban. later in year, waugh claimed pakistan captain saleem malik had offered him (along tim may , shane warne) money perform poorly during match on tour of pakistan. waugh s performances beyond reproach: scored 3 half-centuries in tests , odi century during match in question.

in first test of 1994–95, waugh hit highest score yet, 140 against england @ brisbane. in second innings, australia seeking quick runs set declaration. waugh s old sparring partner tufnell bowling defensive packed leg side field. waugh attempted reverse sweep first time in career, attempting collect runs in sparsely patrolled off side, managed hit ball onto stumps , bowled 15. australia went on win test, , waugh contributed 71 , 29 in win in melbourne.

waugh failed pass 25 in rain-affected draw in third test @ sydney, before claiming career-best bowling figures of 5/40 in losing team during second innings of fourth test @ adelaide. in fifth test @ waca, waugh scored 88 in first innings before returning runner injured craig mcdermott. run out in mix-up brother while looking single have given steve century. left brother on 99 not out australia out. waugh contributed further 3 wickets australia completed 3–1 series win.

on subsequent tour of west indies, waugh scored paul reiffel described nonchalantly [...] beautiful 126 , combined brother 231-run partnership in deciding fourth test @ jamaica. set victory , australia s first series win on west indies since 1975–76.

waugh had productive , consistent 1995–96 australian summer, scoring 2 centuries , 4 half-centuries in 6 tests against pakistan , sri lanka. passed 50 in each test. series against pakistan started amidst new development in bribery claims against malik. pakistan cricket board inquiry cleared malik , speculated waugh , australians had concocted claims. @ start of season, injuries forced him convert bowling off-spin during season. during first test @ brisbane, waugh scored 59 australia took innings victory. took first test wicket spin bowler, of inzamam-ul-haq. waugh scored 88 in second test win @ hobart, , teams moved sydney australia sought clean sweep. had poor test record on home ground, having accumulated 126 runs in 7 innings @ ground. waugh s 116 206 balls highlighted battle against spinners mushtaq ahmed , saqlain mushtaq , mainstay of australia s first innings of 257. australia set 247 victory , placed @ 2/117, waugh having scored 34 46 deliveries. given out caught behind, although ball flicked pad. australia subsequently collapsed out 172, losing test. despite loss, waugh had compiled 300 runs @ 60.00 series.

the series against sri lanka had started in perth speculation regarding waugh s 4 consecutive test ducks. after 4 hours, waugh reached century , ended 111 end run of ducks. on reaching century, gestured section of crowd had been heckling him. australia won innings , waugh scored 61 in innings victory in second test @ melbourne. batting when off-spinner muttiah muralitharan repeatedly no-balled throwing darrell hair, before being bowled spinner. waugh scored 71 in third test , ended 255 runs @ 63.75 in series clean sweep.

during triangular odi tournament, waugh man-of-the-match in opening game against west indies @ adelaide oval, scoring 53 , conceding 26 runs in 10 overs. later in tournament, waugh returned opening position after omission of michael slater, position retained until retirement. in first match in role, waugh scored 130 144 balls against sri lanka @ waca ground. @ time, innings third-highest odi score australian, , opening partnership of 189 taylor seventh-highest of time. in second final, waugh made 73 in 135-run partnership taylor , in unorthodox tactic, opened bowling off-spin, taking 1/31. waugh ended summer 357 runs @ 35.70 , took 6 wickets.

1996 world cup

waugh 1 of leading players @ 1996 cricket world cup on indian subcontinent. opening batting, scored 130 130 balls in australia s opening game against kenya in visakhapatnam,. combined in 207-run partnership brother, first double-century stand in world cup history. followed 126 135 balls against india @ bombay, hitting through cover , midwicket. innings made him first player score consecutive centuries in world cup competition. waugh , dismissed sachin tendulkar 90 when looked win game india. tendulkar charged down pitch waugh s off spin, responded bowling wide, resulting in indian s stumping. waugh named man of match on both occasions. made unbeaten 76 against zimbabwe in nine-wicket win @ nagpur. scored 30 63 balls, took 3/38 in final group game against west indies @ jaipur, australia lost. australia progressed quarter-finals, faced new zealand @ madras, scored third century (110) guide successful australian run chase, again winning man of match. innings took waugh s tournament tally 472 runs, record single tournament. although managed 0 , 12 in semi-final , final, waugh finished tournament 484 runs @ average of 80.66 , strike rate of 85.36, second tendulkar. contributed 5 wickets ball.

after four-month break, waugh returned international duty short tour of subcontinent. in 2 tournaments, scored 207 runs @ 25.88 in 8 matches, scoring 50 in 2 matches, , taking 8 wickets @ 36.00. australians lost one-off test against delhi @ feroz shah kotla in delhi, waugh scoring 26 , 23. took best first-class career bowling figures of 6/68 in tour match against indian board president s xi @ patiala preceded test.

waugh had consistent series despite failing score century in 5 tests against west indies during 1996–97 home season, scored 4 half-centuries, failing pass 50 in third test, ending series 370 runs @ 41.11. during second innings of second test @ scg, waugh collided batting partner matthew elliott, causing elliott taken ground on stretcher due knee injury. fifth test in perth marked 44th time waugh brothers had played in tests, surpassing world record set ian , greg chappell in 1970s. in limited overs format, waugh australia s leading runscorer in triangular odi tournament 358 runs @ 59.66, making 102 against west indies @ brisbane. had scored 1059 odi runs in 1996 calendar year. however, team performance poor , australia missed finals first time in 17 years. batting partner taylor particularly struggled, 143 runs @ 17.87, attracting substantial media criticism.

the australian summer followed tour of south africa. waugh made 26 in opening test, australia won innings. in second test @ port elizabeth, australia skittled in first innings 108 , forced chase 270 victory on seaming wicket. waugh came crease australia @ 2/30 on third afternoon. after hard-fought afternoon, australia reached close of play @ 3/154 waugh on 54. next morning continued century, before bowled 116, leaving australia @ 6/258. australia lost 2 more qickets, stumbled victory 2 wickets in hand. 5 , half hour innings regarded finest test performance. waugh ended series 209 runs @ 41.80.

in odi series, hit unbeaten 115 steer @ successful run chase in second match @ port elizabeth, hitting consecutive sixes reach century. missed several matches due injury—the first match due problem , 2 further matches when split hand webbing while failing take catch in third match. apart century, scored 3 further runs @ ended 118 runs @ 59.00 series.

waugh proceeded england second ashes tour in 1997, , gained attention upon arrival questioning hunger , toughness of home team. scored 131 runs @ 43.66 australia lost 3 odis, top-score of 95 in final match @ oval. in first test @ edgbaston, waugh made 5 , 1 australia suffered nine-wicket loss. english media , public reminded waugh of pre-series comments english. make matters worse, hospitalised 2 days in middle of match suspected appendicitis. condition diagnosed severe viral infection. waugh made 209 runs @ 20.90 series, 1 half-century. hit 2 centuries in tour matches, including 1 against middlesex @ lord s. in sixth test, dismissed in both innings old sparring partner tufnell, had criticised @ start of series weak sort of player .

waugh s performances in england had stirred questions position in team. scrutiny increased after waugh failed pass 20 in first test against new zealand in brisbane , dropped catch. waugh made turnaround in second test in perth, taking horizontal airborne catch of chris cairns @ full stretch. proceeded score 86, including lofted drive daniel vettori onto roof of lillee-marsh stand. ball travelled approximately 130 m, 1 of longest sixes in history. australia went on win match , waugh made 81 in third test , ended series 196 runs @ 39.20, enough save position in team.

consecutive centuries

in 1997–98 test series against south africa, waugh finished year 0 , 1 against south africa in boxing day test match @ melbourne. waugh scored 100 in new year s test @ sydney cricket ground set australian victory. came during 116-run partnership brother, noted particularly menacing spell allan donald second new ball, repeatedly hitting twins. batted out entire fifth day unbeaten 115 in third test @ adelaide oval deny south africans victory, , win series australia. having scored 63 in first innings, waugh came crease late on fourth day australia @ 2/17 , attempting survive draw. dropped , 11 @ stumps. waugh continued resist on following day , brought century. struck bouncer shaun pollock late on final day, waugh broke stumps bat while walking away, south africa appealed hit wicket, denied. south african skipper hansie cronje later speared stump through umpires dressing room in anger @ decision. second time in career had scored consecutive centuries. waugh took satisfaction in fact century responsible saving test. finished series 279 runs @ 69.75.

the 1997–98 australian season marked change in waugh s odi career. australian selectors changed policy , picked test , odi teams separately, specialists chosen accordingly in either form of game. waugh s captain , opening partner taylor dropped. australia had trouble finding suitable partner waugh, michael di venuto, tom moody , stuart law trialled opening partner. despite instability, waugh compiled 104 australia chase target against new zealand in round-robin match @ adelaide oval. finished series australia s leading run-scorer 320 runs @ 35.55, , took 7 wickets @ 25.43. during finals series, new wicket-keeper adam gilchrist elevated opening position. new combination got off poor start, waugh run out 3 in mix-up in first final, pair went on become australia s long term opening pair. after losing 4 group matches south africa, australia won finals series 2–1. partnership gilchrist marked shift in waugh role in odis. waugh had been more aggressive while taylor partner, naturally aggressive gilchrist partner, waugh tended anchor innings.

waugh s strong start year continued in 2 brief odi series in new zealand , india, in scored 374 runs @ 41.56 respectively, 3 half-centuries. australia lost first 2 tests in india, waugh scoring 66 in first innings in first test in chennai otherwise failing pass 20. in third test in bangalore, waugh scored highest test score of 153 not out while suffering nausea, vomiting , fever. 58 @ stumps on second day before being taken ill , requiring overnight injections. first time had batted without helmet, instead using floppy hat due heat , fever. claimed not recall of innings , batting on automatic pilot . waugh australian aggregate more 200 runs series, finishing 280 runs @ 70.00. australia played 9 more odis year in asia, spread across 3 series. waugh scored 266 runs @ 23.25. waugh part of limited overs team won silver medal @ 1998 commonwealth games in kuala lumpur, malaysia, losing final south africa. matches not accredited icc odis.

australia toured pakistan in late 1998. in first test in rawalpindi, waugh scored duck australia won innings, first test win in pakistan in 39 years. tour disrupted appearance @ judicial hearing give evidence relating allegations of match-fixing made against saleem malik. after making 42 , 43 in high-scoring second test @ peshawar, waugh scored 117 in second innings of third test @ karachi end series 228 runs @ 45.60.

bribery scandal re-emerges

waugh made starts in 4 innings of first 2 ashes tests in australia in 1998–99, scoring 31, 27*, 36 , 17* first 2 matches drawn , won respectively. in build-up third test in adelaide, news broke in 1994–95 waugh , shane warne had accepted money indian bookmaker in exchange pitch , weather information. australian cricket board has secretly fined both players actions. acb s suppression of case , actions of 2 players condemned.

waugh booed when went out bat in first innings, , apparently rattled hostile reception, batted scratchily 36 minutes before being dismissed seven. regarded difficult day of career. in second innings, scored unbeaten 51 , given standing ovation parts of crowd in contrast other hostile sections. took 3 catches in england second innings australia won match retain ashes. waugh scored 36 , 43 in boxing day test @ mcg, saw him pass 1,000 test runs calendar year.

waugh started 1999 did previous year, century in new year s test @ scg. after being dropped before had scored, waugh scored 121 in 5 hours on first day, sharing partnership of 190 brother. became fifth australian take 100 test catches when caught nasser hussain in first innings bowling of colin miller. australia won test , waugh ended series 393 runs @ 56.14, placing him second in batting averages. in odi series, scored 6 consecutive half-centuries in consistent run augured upcoming world cup. tally of 542 runs @ 49.27 highest tournament. majority of odi tournament, waugh acted vice-captain warne brother steve sidelined hamstring strain.

1999 world cup

taylor retired after australian summer , waugh s brother became test captain , first assignment tour of caribbean. waugh had modest test series, finishing 202 runs @ 25.25 australia retained frank worrell trophy 2–2. best score 67 in first innings of second test, terminated when bowled ball scooted along ground. speculation future began simmer again. made 217 runs @ 31.00 in odis, australia s second highest runscorer, before team headed england 1999 world cup.

waugh started tournament man-of-the-match 67 against scotland @ worcester australia unconvincingly won 4 wickets in first match. scored 2 , 41 australia lost ot new zealand , pakistan respectively, leaving them needing avoid defeat in of remaining matches win world cup. waugh scored 33 , 3 australia defeated bangladesh , west indies progress super 6 phase. needing win matches, waugh top-scored 83 against india @ oval in win. scored 104 120 balls against zimbabwe @ lord s in victory. in process, passed allan border s australian record of 6,524 odi career runs , became first person score 4 centuries in world cup competition. dedicated achievement dying grandfather. run out 5 in final super 6 match against south africa. in semi-final against same team, dismissed without scoring. waugh participated in final play of match. scores tied in last on of south africa s run chase , 1 wicket remaining, fielded ball lance klusener , allan donald attempted winning run. south africans had mix-up , run out resulted in tie. australians progressed final had won previous meeting.

in final against pakistan @ lord s, set tone of match sideways diving catch dismiss wajahatullah wasti. pakistan bowled out 132. waugh 37 not out when darren lehmann struck winning runs. finished tournament 375 runs @ 41.67, making him australia s second highest runscorer tournament.

in late 1999, australia toured sri lanka. waugh continued perform in odis, 174 runs @ 34.80, test troubles continued 29 runs @ 7.25. in 6 tests on island nation, had managed 90 runs @ average of 9.00. australia proceeded zimbabwe, waugh scored 90 in ten-wicket win. had reached century, waugh have become first player record centuries against 8 other test-playing nations. waugh scored 106 97 balls in first odi before scoring 54* in second match. ended odi year, total of 1468 runs @ 44.48.

close omission , 100th test match

he made strong start 1999–2000 australian summer, scoring 100 in first test against pakistan in brisbane, , taking reflex catch dismiss inzamam-ul-haq in second test @ bellerive oval, hobart, although scored 5 , duck. however, after duck in third test in perth, gave poor display in first test against india @ adelaide oval led calls axing. after being dismissed 5 in first innings, came out bat in second innings late on third day, , protected strike greg blewett, refused take singles hit outfield. after being jeered, dismissed next day eight, after batting hour. waugh made 1 , 25 in interstate match following test retained boxing day test @ mcg. managed survivalist 41 in first innings , unbeaten 51 against backdrop of supportive crowd. on hat-trick in second innings australia won test. waugh retained , made 100th test appearance in 2000 new year s test in sydney, scored 32 in innings.

further poor displays in phase of subsequent odi tournament, including innings of 3 30 balls, lead repeated calls omission, until scored 116 @ adelaide oval on australia day against india lay foundation australia s largest ever total on home soil of 5/329. waugh ended series 305 runs @ 30.50 , retained tour of new zealand, scored respectable 206 runs @ 41.20 in abbreviated form of game including 2 half-centuries. scored unbeaten 72 in first test @ eden park set victory in low-scoring game—only 1 other player passed 20. waugh ended series 190 runs @ 47.50 australia won 3–0. however, run of 7 odis during 2000 australian winter including 2 series against south africa in tallied 84 runs @ 12.00 again saw further media speculation of impending demise.

return form


waugh s odi career batting performance. note spike near end of career due 2000–01 series.

after being close omission previous season, waugh made start 2000–01 season, scoring 119 against west indies in second test in perth. added 2 further half-centuries total 339 runs @ 48.4 windies defeated 5–0. productive summer continued in limited-overs format when went on score australian odi record of 173 in second tri-series final against west indies @ melbourne cricket ground. 1 of 3 odi centuries scored in tournament, others being 112 , 102, both not out, against west indies , zimbabwe respectively. in total scored 540 runs in series @ average of 108.00. leading run-scorer far in tournament, expected named player of series, resulting in widespread crowd jeering when instead awarded brian lara. waugh tipped win allan border medal due prolific runscoring year. however, despite leading player votes 32, umpire , media thought otherwise, awarding steve waugh 37 votes 32, making steve winner 65–64.

the 2001 tour of india saw australia s 16 test winning streak come end when india claimed series 2–1. waugh scored 70 , 57 in third test in chennai finish 149 runs @ 29.80 in difficult series. waugh continued fine odi form century, unbeaten 133 against india in second odi, forced return home after finger fractured javagal srinath delivery.

catching world record

during 2001 ashes series, waugh topped aggregates 430 runs, scoring test centuries @ lord s (108) , oval (120). broke mark taylor s world record of 157 test catches. waugh unable maintain form in 2001–02 australian summer: totalled 269 (at 33.6) in 6 tests against new zealand , south africa, without century. media scrutiny of inability combat short-pitched bowling increased , led speculation long-term future in team.

nevertheless, passed 2 major milestones: test @ adelaide marked 100th test in both waughs played, while following game 100th consecutive test match. waugh , fellow odi opener adam gilchrist both hit batting slump during vb series, waugh averaging 26 series , gilchrist less. frequent poor starts innings resulted in australia s failure qualify final of tri-series first time in 5 years. later in year, selectors reacted dropping steve , mark waugh, oldest members of team, in favour of younger players.

final series

maintaining place in test team, waugh toured south africa in 2002. although passed 15 in each of innings, managed 1 half-century in 169 runs @ 33.8. in attempt regain form, had brief stint essex in english county championship. in subsequent three-test series against pakistan, played on neutral grounds in sri lanka , uae due security reasons, made 80 runs @ 20. waugh retired international cricket in late 2002 after being omitted upcoming test series against england in favour of darren lehmann.

waugh retired australia s highest run-scorer , century-maker (18) in odi cricket, these records have since been broken ricky ponting. world record of 181 test catches broken india s rahul dravid in 2009.

mark waugh s test career batting performance graph.