Steve Waugh

At 58 years old, Steve Waugh has this physical status:

Domestic career

In 1984–85, Waugh made his first-class debut for New South Wales (NSW), batting at number nine and bowling medium speed. He scored 71 while batting with the tail to help NSW win the Sheffield Shield final this season.

International career

In the Second Test at Melbourne, he made his Test debut against India in the 1985–86 season after ten first-class matches for NSW. In the first innings, he scored 13 and 5 and took 2/36. Waugh was left unemployed for New Zealand's second tour after struggling to make a decent mark in the series (he managed 26 runs in four innings). He had a good all-round match in the Second Test at Christchurch, scoring 86 runs but his batting average was only 17.40 for the series. During the season, Waugh had more success in a one-day environment. At the MCG, he made his MCG debut against New Zealand, taking 1/13 and a catch. As the game was washed out, he did not bat. In the Australia Day victory over India, he was retained for all of Australia's 12 matches, scoring 266 runs at 38.8, including a top score of 81. At 33.00, he took seven wickets at 33.00. On the tour of New Zealand, Waugh was retained for all four ODIs, scoring 111 runs at 27.75 and taking four wickets at 39.75.

Despite scoring only 113 runs at 12.56 in his Test career, the Australian selectors stuck with Waugh and toured India in 1986. Waugh had little opportunities during the three Tests, scoring 59 runs for once out and taking two wickets. Although he was ostensibly chosen for his batting, Waugh had a heavy workload as a bowler at this point in his career. He appeared in all six ODIs on tour, scoring 111 runs at 55.50 and taking seven wickets at 35.86.

In the First Test against England at Brisbane in 1986–87, he bowled him out of place, scoring 0 and 28 as Australia lost. He made 71 and had match figures of 5/159 including 5/69 in the second innings, then scored 79 not out in the drawn Third Test at Adelaide. In the last two Tests, he scored 49 and 73 runs, giving him a series of 310 runs (at 44.29) and ten wickets (at 33.60), a fighting effort in a team defeated 1–2. In his 13th match, Waugh was the first time he was in a winning Test team. Waugh was involved in all of Australia's 13 ODIs, scoring 372 runs at 37.20 and taking 21 wickets at 21.80. Waugh played with both bats and ball on a daily basis. In a match against Pakistan, he scored 82 and then took 4/48 but was unable to prevent the visitors from winning by a single wicket from the second last ball. In an Australia Day victory over England, he scored 83* and took 2/30. England lost 2–0 because he was unable to keep his form in the finals, scoring one and one and a total of 1/78. Waugh was a natural, uninhibited strokeplayer who liked to push off the back foot early in his international career. He could score quickly, but he was inconsistent at Test level and seemed more suited to ODI cricket. He often accelerated the scoring in the later stages of the game. When this change of pace was difficult to score from, he used a delicately disguised slower ball bowled from the back of the hand and occasionally sent down the final overs.

The 1987 World Cup, which was hosted on the Indian subcontinent, was a turning point in Waugh's career. With his dismissal of Maninder Singh in the final over, he had scored 19* in the death overs against India in the first match. As the Australians defeated Zimbabwe by 96 runs in the following match, Waugh scored 45 runs before conceding only seven runs in six overs of bowling. Waugh bowled the Kiwis out of the last over with them needing seven runs for victory: they were limited to only three runs in the over. He finished with a 2/36 average.

In a 56-run loss to India, Waugh took 1/59 and 42 runs before defeating New Zealand in a 17-run victory. In Australia's last group match, Waugh scored 10* before winning by 1/9 from four overs in a 70-run victory over Zimbabwe. Australia qualified for the semi-finals and met co-hosts Pakistan on their home soil in Lahore. In a cameo of 32 runs, Waugh emerged first, winning by 18 runs in a match that Australia won by 18 runs. In the final, he scored an unbeaten five in a brief innings at the end of the innings. As Australia defended a target of 254 against England at Kolkata, he was a key player. In the 47th and 49th overs, he claimed the wickets of Allan Lamb and Phillip DeFreitas as England falter toward the end of the run-chase. For the first time, Australia defeated Australia by seven runs to win the World Cup for the first time. At 56 runs on 55.66, Waugh took 11 wickets at 26.18 runs. Because of his success in tense situations, he was dubbed "Iceman" by some.

However, Waugh continued to be inconsistent in Test matches. In five Tests against the touring New Zealand, England, and Sri Lanka teams, he took only 194 runs at 32.33. With nine wickets at 29.67, his bowling helped keep him in the team. Waugh's ODI form remained strong, playing in all of Australia's 11 ODIs for the season, scoring 226 runs at 32.29 and taking 18 wickets at 23.50. In one match against Sri Lanka, he scored one half-century and took a haul of 4/33.

Pakistan's Test tour in late 1988 was unproductive, with 92 runs at 18.40, one half century, and two wickets at 108.00. With two entertaining innings of 90 and 91 on Brisbane and Perth's quicker pitches, Waugh shared some batting woes against the West Indies in 1988-89. In the Third Test at Melbourne, he bowled a string of bouncers at Viv Richards in Brisbane, scoring 3/77 and 5/92. Bill O'Reilly wrote about Waugh's time in Brisbane:

In the ODIs, Waugh continued to perform well, scoring 270 runs as 38.57 and taking seven wickets at 49.42. In the same match, he recorded his highest scoring and best bowling analysis, scoring 54 against the West Indies in Melbourne. Despite this, Australia lost the match.

Waugh's batting average was 30.52 from 26 Tests going into 1989 Ashes. Waugh scored 113 runs at 37.66 and took three wickets at 54.00 in a three-match ODI series that came before the Tests.

In the First Test at Leeds, Waugh scored his maiden Test century, 177 not out. In just over five hours of batting, it was a free flowing innings marked by square driving, which helped Australia establish a strong first innings victory. In the Second Test at Lord's, he posted an unbeaten 152, assisting Australia in setting up a winning 242 run advantage in the first innings. He was not suspended until the first innings of the Third Test for 43, at which time he had amassed 393 runs. In the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Waugh scored 92 points for his second victory. He did not reach 20 in any of the last two Tests and ended the series with 56 runs at 126.5 runs. With only two wickets in the six Tests, he bowled less often. He first experienced back pains on his tour that would have hampered his bowling. Waugh played as a specialist batsman on the short tour of India for the first time in the Nehru Cup ODI tournament that followed the Ashes series. He batted a ball at 22.00 and did not bowl a single ball.

The 1989/90 international season would see Australia return home. In the six Tests in Australia and the one-off Test in New Zealand, he scored 378 runs at 37.8 runs. In the Second Test in Hobart, the highlight was an unbeaten 134 against Sri Lanka. The First Test was a twin half century. For the seven Tests, his batting focus saw him averaged 1/19 with the ball. His Test results were fading away.

The ODIs followed a similar pattern. During the season, Australia produced ten ODIs on home soil, followed by five in New Zealand. Waugh did not bowl again for the season after taking two wickets at 38.50 in the first three ODIs. Waugh was dropped for the second final against Pakistan, who Australia defeated, after scoring only 99 runs at 19.80 in the first nine ODIs in Australia. He appeared in all five ODIs in New Zealand, hitting only 72 runs at 18.00. He returned to the bowling crease in the Sharjah tournament, taking four wickets at 28.00 and scoring 98 runs at 49.00.

In 1990, Waugh and his twin brother Mark were unbeaten in 464 minutes against Western Australia (WA), the 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 finished with 216 and 229 respectively.

He suffered with form slumps in the 1990-91 Ashes series in Australia, and was dropped for the fourth Test at Adelaide after making only 82 runs at 20.50. On debut, Mark, his twin, was recalled, who scored a century on debut.

However, Waugh stayed a regular in the ODI squad, scoring 141 runs at 35.25 and taking seven wickets at 49.42.

He and Mark became the first twins to play in a Test match together in Trinidad on the 1991 Caribbean tour. Nevertheless, he failed to post a solid result in the fifth Test, Australia's only triumph for the series.

He was in all five ODIs and took 86 runs at 28.66, taking five wickets at 30.60.

In the five-day style of 1991–92, Waugh remained out of the Test team for eighteen months and did not see action in the five-day fashion. However, Waugh was involved in all 18 ODIs for the season. He took wickets at 18.25 runs in the triangular series, but he took wickets regularly, with 16 scalps at 19.00. As a result, he retained his place in the team for all eight of Australia's group matches in the forthcoming 1992 Cricket World Cup, which was held in Australia and New Zealand. He made 187 runs at 26.71 and took eight wickets at 34.63. In a 128-run victory over Zimbabwe, he scored 55 runs and took 2/28 runs, as Australia failed to progress beyond the group stage.

He was back as the top batsman for the 1992–93 home Test series against the West Indies, but his form was more muted. In the Third Test in Sydney, his 228 runs at 25.33 was boosted by a score of 100 runs. "This was probably the most important hundred of my Test career," Waugh said, "if I didn't get runs, I would be dropped." He remained a fixture in the ODI team, playing in all ten matches and winning 213 runs at 23.66 with one half-century and nine wickets at 39.22.

Waugh managed to keep his position on the 1993 Ashes tour of England after solid results on the tour of New Zealand, where he scored 178 Test runs at 44.50. In the five ODIs, he ended his tour with 120 runs at 30.00 and three wickets at 57.66. England's three-match ODI series began in England, with Waugh scoring 41 runs at 20.50 and taking five wickets at 30.20.

Michael Slater became the regular opener during the Test series, and Boon returned to the middle order. Waugh climbed to the top of the Australian charts ahead of two young Western Australians, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn. In the fourth Test at Headingley, Waugh's 157 not out earned comparisons to his 1989 debuts, as well as a remarkable stand of 332 with Allan Border. He also scored half-centuries in the First and Fifth Tests and finished with 416 at 83.2 from limited opportunities – only five of which were completed – he played nine innings. The English attack was led by Australia's top order, and tourists retained the Ashes 4–1.

In an innings victory over New Zealand in the Third Test at Brisbane, he solidified his position by scoring an unbeaten 147 against New Zealand, snapping the series with 216 runs once removed. He missed part of the 1993–94 triangular ODI tournament with New Zealand and South Africa due to a hamstring strain in late December, as well as the first two Tests against the South Africans. He returned to the ODIs and weighed in at 141 runs at 23.50 and taking four wickets at 54.50. In late January, Waugh appeared in the Third Test at Adelaide Oval, with Australia trailing 1–0. Australia defeated the Test and levelled the sequence with a 160th and 4/26. He was named as the world player of the [Australian] season.

In the Second Test of the return series in South Africa, he took 5/28 and scored 86, helping Australia lift the series 1-1 after losing the first at Wanderers in Johannesburg. He came to a 195 runs at 65.00, his bowling was at its most effective in five years, with 10 wickets at 13.00. He was named Player of the series in the ODI series for his all-round efforts, which brought Australia back from a deficit of 2–4 to a series of 4–4. In the final match, Waugh was 2/48, as Australia levelled the sequence by a single run. At 56.40, he had 291 runs at 48.50 and five wickets at 51.9.40.

After the imminent departure of Allan Border as captain at the end of the tour, the Australian Cricket Board interviewed Waugh, David Boon, Mark Taylor, and Ian Healy to hear their thoughts on the team's future. Despite Waugh's greater training, Taylor was granted the captaincy, while Healy was made vice-captain.

The new team went to Sri Lanka for the Singer World Series ODI tournament and then to Pakistan for a Test-playing tour. In 16.20, Waugh took five wickets for 53 runs at 17.66 runs and took five wickets. In the First Test, Waugh made 73 runs, which Australia then lost by a single wicket. His 98 in the Second Test at Rawalpindi was notably for his tenacity against Wasim Akram's ferocious barrage. Waqar Younis was praised for his brave counterattack. He collapsed when a bouncer struck his body and rolled into the stumps. He was forced out of the final Test due to a shoulder injury, which also ended the series. As Australia defeated the ODI tournament, Waugh scored 153 runs at 38.25 with two half-centuries and took two wickets at 72.01.

He barely missed centuries in the Second and Fifth Test in Melbourne and Perth respectively, when the last wicket fell between 94 and 99 not out respectively. Mark was forced out after a mix-up while running for the injured Craig McDermott in the second instance. In the Second Test and 99* and 80 in the Fifth, it was an uneven sequence, scoring 94* and 26* in the Second Test and 99* and 80 in the Fifth but not in the six innings of the other three Tests. He ended the series with 345 at 49.28, but did not bowl for the entire series. For the season, Waugh had only one ODI, scoring a duck and not bowling a ball. The season came to an end with a short ODI tournament in New Zealand, which Australia defeated. In four matches, Waugh scored 81 runs at 27.00, but did not bowl.

Since winning the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1978, the West Indies had been the bête noire of Australian cricket. The West Indies had not lost a Test series since 1980, and they had not lost a Test series to Australia at home since 1973. The tests were preceded by an ODI series that was lost 1–4. At 32.80, Waugh scored 164 runs at 32.80 and took three wickets at 41.00. Waugh won the player of the series award with a 107.25 average and claimed five wickets (for 62 runs) to win the player of the series trophy; his twin Mark was the next best batsman with 240 runs at 40 average.

Waugh was at the center 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 it was speculated that the ball may have hit the ground. Lara, who was praised for accepting the word of the fielder without question, left the field. Following his dismissal, the West Indies' batting team collapsed, and Australia won by ten wickets. After the shooting, Waugh was accused of dishonesty and cheating.

Waugh defied the Caribbean pacemen on a green pitch at Trinidad, who was accustomed to their hostile bowling during the Third Test after scoring 65 not out in the drawn Second Test at Antigua. He scored an unbeaten 63 of Australia's 128 in the first innings and faced Curtly Ambrose in a mid-pitch match. The pair exchanged glares after Waugh had evaded a bouncer from Ambrose. He swore and begged Ambrose to return to his bowling glory. An outraged Ambrose had to be carried away by his captain physically: a snapshot of this time has since become one of cricket's most iconic images of the 1990s. It showed that Australia was no longer threatened by the West Indies, not intimidated by them. "In the toughest conditions [...] against the best fast bowler of our time," Waugh said. We needed to stand up to him [Ambrose] and go frome to toe [toe], giving us a huge boost."

Nonetheless, the West Indies won the match and even matched the sequence. In the decider in Jamaica, Waugh took 2/14 in the West Indies' first innings of 265 and then landed at the crease with Australia at 73 for three. He and his brother Mark, who was eventually out for 126, had a long relationship of 231 runs together. After nine hours of batting, Waugh was the last man to go, out for 200. "Steve had made up his mind to bat and bat," Paul Reiffel wrote, "to remain out there and monitor the proceedings." [... H]e copped a lot of blows on his arms, chest, and ribs. We could see the spots and bruises on his body when he returned to the dressing room at the end of day two [...]. When I walked in [...], he didn't say anything to me, but then he didn't have to, but then he didn't have to. We all knew that we just had to help him."

"He was in a trance-like state." [...] A security guard was discovered in the wee hours of the second morning rifling through Steve's kit bag. The incident [didn't] have an effect on his concentration. It all came down to show how strong a character he was."

With an all-run four to fine-leg off a quicker ball from Carl Hooper, Waugh pushed himself into his double century. He was the last man out. Australia defeated the opposition by a slim lead in first innings, resulting in a humiliating victory.

Waugh went to bed in his cricket whites, socks, and baggy green after a post-winned was sailing. "You might guess that Steve's legacy derived a lot of energy from his time in Jamaica," Reiffel wrote.

Waugh was named as the best Test batsman in the world in 1995 to 1996. In the First Test at Brisbane, Australia defeated Pakistan in the First Test and scored 200 runs at 50.00 for the series. He made an unbeaten 112 as Australia defeated Pakistan in the First Test at 50.00. Suffering a traumatic injury in December, he missed the First Test against Sri Lanka and as part of the triangular ODI tournament, then returned to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test, scoring 131 not out. After missing the first six matches, Waugh returned in the second stages of the triangular tournament. He scored his first ODI century in Melbourne, ten years after his ODI debut. Despite this, Australia lost by three wickets by three wickets. Waugh bowled out 128 runs at 42.66 and did not take a wicket, bowling only four overs on his return from injury. He aided Australia to a 3–0 success in the Test series by scoring 170 and 61 not out at Adelaide, putting an end to the series with 362 runs at once out. In the Third Test, he took 4/34.

During Waugh's first match against Kenya, an Australian record partnership at the World Cup, he scored 82 runs and appeared in a 207-run team with his brother. In the quarter-finals against New Zealand at Madras, he recorded an unbeaten half-century, bringing an exciting run chase. However, he was less effective in the semi-final and final, failing to reach 20 on either occasion. At Lahore, Australia lost the final to Sri Lanka.

Geoff Marsh replaced Bob Simpson as coach after the World Cup. With two ODI tournaments in Sri Lanka and India, the Australians began a new era. Waugh took four wickets at 37.40 across nine wickets at 40.66 runs and three half-centuries. In Delhi, the tour ended with a single Test against India, where Waugh was the only Australian to make a half-century in defeat.

In the five Tests of the 1996–97 Australian season against the West Indies, Waugh failed to reach a century, scoring 255 runs at 36.42 in three quarters. He skipped the Second Test against the West Indies after injuring his groin while bowling in the First.

Because of the injury, Waugh was only available for six of Australia's eight ODI matches in the annual triangular tournament. As Australia skipped the finals, Waugh only bowled three overs without missing a wicket.

On the 1997 tour of South Africa, Waugh returned to form, averaging 78.25. In the first Test at Johannesburg, he scored 160 runs, completing a 385-run partnership with Greg Blewett. They batted for the entire third day's play in order to win by an innings. In both innings of the Third Test, which Australia lost, Waugh then scored with half-centuries. Since the team's vice-captain Ian Healy was suspended for throwing his bat after his dismissal, Waugh replaced him as Mark Taylor's deputy. With 301 runs at 50.16 and four half-centuries, Waugh continued his good run in the seven ODIs, scoring 301 runs at 50.16 with four half-centuries. After scoring 50 and 50* in the first two matches, he scored 89 in a run chase in the sixth match as Australia locked the series 4–2 with one over in hand. In the last match in a vain run chase, he scored 91 points.

Australia started poorly with a 0-3 loss in the ODI series on the 1997 Ashes tour, with Waugh only managing 60 runs at 20.00.

Australia lost the First Test by nine wickets, drew the Second Test, then won the toss in the Third Test at Manchester, and then won the toss. Gambling on green pitch on green pitch, Australia woefully dropped to 3/42 in the first hour when Waugh came out to bat. He made 108. On 3/39, he started his second innings with Australia and scored 116 runs. The game was won by these two centuries in a low-scoring match. Australia levelled the sequence and regained control, winning the Ashes with a 3–2 score. In the Fifth Test victory at Nottingham, Waugh's only other notable result was 75, who scored, and he finished with 390 runs at 39 runs per season.

Source