Full name
Stephen Rodger Waugh
Born
June 2, 1965, Canterbury, Sydney, New South Wales
Major teams Australia, Ireland, Kent, New South Wales, Somerset
Playing role Middle-order batsman
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Stephen
Rodger Waugh (born June 2, 1965) was the captain of the Australian Test cricket
team from 1997-Jan 2004.
Making his
debut as an all-rounder complementing his batting with handy medium pace, Steve
came into the Australian ODI and test teams in the summer of 1985-86 (against
New Zealand and India respectively), at one of the lowest ebbs the Australian
team had reached with a succession of series losses. He proved crucial in both
fields in Australia's surprise win in the 1987 World Cup.
His
batting began to deliver on its promise when Australia regained the Ashes in
1989, with his first test century finally arriving after a succession of scores
in the nineties. However, a run of poor form led to his being dropped from the
Australian side in 1992, ironically to be replaced by his twin brother Mark
Waugh.
Returning
to the team against the West Indies in 1992-93, Steve built a reputation
throughout the 1990s as perhaps the most solid batsman in world cricket.
Lacking the attacking flair of Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, his reputation
for strength of will saw him make many centuries for his team, often under
pressure and batting with the tailenders. Like most Australian players, he has
an array of strong off-side shots. His trademark shot against spin bowling is
the "slog sweep" which he gradually developed later in his
career—theoretically technically unsound, it has proven highly effective
against the spinners and even against faster bowlers at times. Waugh does not
play the "hook shot" and is regarded as vulnerable to short-pitched
bowling, a theory that has been widely tested by his opponents. Despite looking
ungainly when facing it, he is rarely dismissed through it.
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.
Waugh took
over the captaincy of the one-day side in 1997-98, as planning began for the
1999 World Cup. Producing several reasonable scores in a side struggling early,
Waugh saved his best for two crucial games against South Africa, scoring 120
against South Africa in the last game of the "Super Six" to ensure
Australia's progression to the semi-final, and then 56 in the semi, which was
tied.
Upon the
retirement of Mark Taylor in 1999, Waugh assumed the test captaincy, and 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 has 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 10 by the West Indies.
Waugh lost
the one-day captaincy, and indeed a spot in the one-day side, in 2001-02, but
in typical style, declared that he wished to regain a place in the team. A wish
he never achieved.
Waugh
departs from the distinctly Anglocentric, ockerish, and politically
conservative traditions of Australian cricket in his interest in India. Waugh
helps to raise funds for a leper children's colony, "Udayan", in
Calcutta Whilst hardly a novel thing for a celebrity to do, it is highly novel
for an Australian cricketer. He reportedly also encourages his players to learn
about and enjoy the countries they visit and play in—presumably partly to
reduce the siege mentality of some previous Australian teams playing in south
Asia, but also seemingly for a genuine desire to use cricket to build bridges.
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.
Waugh is
married to Lynette and has three children.
Steve
Waugh retired from international cricket, after the fourth test against India
on January 6, 2004. Steve saved the Australian team from defeat in his final
test by an innings in which he scored 80. A record number of fans and spectators
bid farewell to Waugh at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)
No comments:
Post a Comment