The enigmatic Australian, Steve Waugh, is still the hardest batsman in the world to remove from the crease due to his massive reserves of concentration
If any cricketer exemplifies Australian cricket, it is Steve Rodger Waugh. Tough, determined, competitive and ruthless, he has also proved himself to be one of the most formidable batsmen in Test history.
Steve has produced one of the greatest innings in his record — equalling the 156th Test as if it was scripted, coming in to bat to crashing acclaim with Australia in trouble at 56 for three, and taking on English bowlers with typical ease.
He scored an unforgettable century, becoming only the third player to score 10,000 Test runs with an emotional innings in the fifth and final Test at the SCG. Willed on for every scoring shot by a devoting 41,000 crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the 37-year-old Aussie skipper joined compatriot Allan Border (11,174 in 156 Tests), and India’s Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 in 125 Tests) in the exclusive 10,000-club.
Steve Waugh started his career as an attacking all-rounder before a back injury cut short his performances with leather, although his 195 one-day International wickets and 91 Test wickets shows his class as an all-rounder.
He was pitchforked into Test cricket five months before his 21st birthday, at a time when Australian cricket was bankrupt of inspiration and lifeless by the preference of Kim Hughes and company to play in South Africa than for their own country.
For the first 22 months of his international career, Australian cricket was at its lowest point and Captain Allan Border was, more than once, close to resignation and nervous breakdown.
The new spirit of Australian cricket — so evident from 1989 onwards — had its start in India in the 1987 Reliance World Cup, where, as 16-1 outsiders, Australia won the World Cup for the first time. Waugh’s achievement throughout the campaign was remarkable and earned him, along with rave notices from critics around the world, the nickname of “Iceman” for his calm in the most stressful of situations.
Steve has become one of the most successful captains in world cricket since taking over from Mark Taylor in time for the 1999 World Cup. The indomitable Australians marched through the tournament to claim the trophy on the back of seven successive wins, and have since gone on to become virtually unbeatable in the Test arena.
By 2001, Steve had reinvented one-day cricket, too, using attack as the best form of defence. But he lost his job (and place in the team) as one-day captain after three bad games against New Zealand in 2002. Steve became (with Tom Moody) one of the only two Australians to win the trophy twice. But he was denied the opportunity to defend his title. He remains one of the most reliable batsmen in the world. Matches are never over as long as he remains at the crease.
Steve Waugh was only 20 when he made his debut against India in 1985-86. He failed to reach a century in his first 26 Tests, but in 1989, the floodgates opened to release a stack of runs against England. He scored 177 (not out) and 152 (not out) in the first two Tests at Headingley and Lords, to finish the Ashes series with a batting average of 126.50, and become Player of the Series.
A lean, clean timer of the ball with massive reserves of concentration, he is the hardest batsman in the world to remove from the crease. He lost his Test place in 1990-91, but has returned to play the anchor role in the middle order for many huge Australian scores over the past decade.
Steve’s twin brother, Mark, who took five years longer to make the Australian team, was raised by a sports-loving family in the Sydney suburbs. He played backyard cricket with his brother and at 15, the twins were playing for the New South Wales youth team, scoring hundreds against boys from private school backgrounds. Steve initially was a one-day cricket hero, and it took until the 1989 Ashes tour to finally establish a niche for himself in the Test team, and to become a regular century scorer in the longer form of the game. Steve’s batting is of a more accumulative nature than Mark’s, but he possesses several delightful shots in his armoury, his trademark being the backfoot smash through cover with a firm flick of his wrists.
Initially, Steve’s pace and constant battery from the world’s fastest bowlers forged an awkward though effective defence against the rising ball, and this culminated in his epic innings of 200 against the West Indies at Sabina Park, sharing in a record partnership with Mark. Steve’s apparent dourness on field makes an interesting contrast to the relaxed mien of his twin, Mark (the two are not said to be as close as one would assume them to be).
Steve and Mark Waugh celebrated their 100th Test appearance together at the first Test against South Africa in December 2001. The Australian captain, Steve, played his 143rd Test, while Mark is up to his 120th, but both were surprised when told of the milestone. “I would have thought we’d only have played about 60 or 70, but time does fly,” said Steve, the older of the two by just four minutes.
Only 41 sets of brothers have played at least one Test match together and of those, only the Waughs are twins. Their 100 Tests together are the next best by Zimbabwean siblings, Andy and Grant Flower.
Steve followed in his uncle’s footsteps and chose to play cricket. For Steve, serious cricket began at age 10, his first team being Panania East Hill and in the following years, besides the NSW primary school side, he was selected for the U-13 and 16 sides as well.
From the 1980-81 season onwards, Steve appeared in several important competitions at the under-age level. At this time, Steve excelled with both bat and ball. In the 1983-84 season, he was selected for the Australian Under-19 team for the Australian championship in which he played some outstanding innings, scoring four centuries in the process.
He entered Sheffield Shield in 1984-85, following his selection to the NSW team. That season, he gave several all-round performances. And by virtue of his overall performance that season, Steve was awarded the ESSO scholarship to England. In the Sheffield Shield final between NSW and Queensland in March 1985, Steve batted at number eight in the first innings and scored 71. His maiden century (107) was achieved against Tasmania in the following season. Realizing his vast potential, the Australian selectors chose him for the last two Tests against India in 1986-87.
Finest hours
* Sensational start to Ashes (1989)
* 200 helps win series in WI, Kingston (1994-95)
* Two classic hundreds in win v Eng, Old Trafford (1997)
* Win 1999 World Cup, in England
* Captain for historic wining streak (16 in a row) 1999-01
Darkest days
* Struggling start to Test career
* Disastrous series v Pakistan (1989-90)
* Replaced by brother Mark, v England, Adelaide (1990-91)
* Claims false ‘catch’ off Lara, Bridgetown (1994-95)
* Crushed nose in collision with Gillespie, v SL, Kandy (1999-00)
The enigmatic Australian, Steve Waugh, is still the hardest batsman in the world to remove from the crease due to his massive reserves of concentration 
