Mark Waugh

Mark Waugh Biography

Mark Edward Waugh is a former Australian right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler.

He was born on 2nd June 1965 in Canterbury Hospital in Campsie, New South Wales, Australia. Mark is a twin brother of former Australian captain Steve Waugh.

Background

As Mark came from a family background that was involved in sports, from an early age, he, along with his brothers, was introduced to sports.

He was named in the national under-19 team to play in Test and ODI series.

Mark made his very first First XI century during the 1983-84 season. In the beginning of the 1984–85 season, both brothers were included in the New South Wales state squad.

Club career

Mark opened on debut at Hobart's TCA Ground against Tasmania. Mark took his first catch on that day with that of Roger Woolley.

For both 1987–88 and 1989–90 seasons he was declared the Sheffield Shield player of the year.

For a small time at Essex County Cricket Club in 1988 in England, Waugh replaced Australian captain Allan Border, after just one full season of Sheffield Shield.

Waugh's debut was against Nottinghamshire at Colchester in August in a limited-overs match.

He began slowly in Essex with a 77 against Derbyshire being his only score beyond 50 in his first six innings.

Waugh then got his maiden first-class county century against Hampshire, scoring 109 at Ilford in late June. He again scored 112* against Glamorgan in a one-dayer.

In the first Sheffield Shield match of the season, Waugh scored 172 of the 301 balls delivered, his highest first-class score till date.

He then got 42 runs and took three wickets against Sri Lanka.

He scored an unbeaten 100 against Victoria and striked 46 and 18 while taking 1/31 and 2/34 against Queensland.

Waugh ended the Sheffield Shield with an average rate of 80.85 as the top-scorer.

Debut

Waugh was finally picked for his Test debut in the 1990–91 Ashes series.

In the fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval against England, he scored his maiden century with a square drive late on the first day.

In the first ODI at Sabina Park in Kingston, Waugh scored 67 runs from 66 balls.

The twin brothers together played their first Test match at Queens Park Oval in the Third Test, where Waugh top-scored with 64 runs in the first innings and took his first Test wicket that of Curtly Ambrose. at Bridgetown, Barbados.

In the fifth Test of the series at St. John's, Antigua, Waugh made 139* from 188 balls.

Low points

Waugh was in bad form during the 1991–92 Australian summer. He scored just two in the opening match of the world cup which was played against New Zealand at Eden Park.

Records

At the 1996 Cricket World Cup Waugh scored 130 out of 130 balls against Kenya and got into a 207-run partnership with his brother, and broke the world record for double-century stand in World Cup.

He finished the tournament with an average of 80.66 and a strike rate of 85.36 which was second best after that of Sachin Tendulkar.

In 1990, Waugh with his brother combined for an unbeaten partnership of 464 for NSW against Western Australia at the WACA Ground. This was a world first-class record for the fifth wicket.

Retirement

Waugh retired in late 2002 as Australia's highest run-scorer and century-maker in ODI cricket.