Waugh, Mark Edward and Stephen Rodger

▪ 1998

      In the second of the three cricket Tests in South Africa in March 1997, S.R. and M.E. Waugh, the twins from the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia, became the most capped set of brothers in Test history. It was their 44th Test together. The irony was that Mark, the younger of the two by four minutes—hence his nickname "Junior"—made his Test debut in Adelaide as a replacement for Steve, who had been pushed into the Australian side five years earlier after just nine first-class matches. By general consent, Mark was the more gifted of the two, an inventive strokemaker blessed with natural timing. Yet ask any Test bowler his most feared foe, and the answer would be Steve Waugh, a tough competitor who by sheer hard work and dedication turned himself into the best batsman in the world. Steve was more intense than Mark, an avid student of the game, captain of the Australian one-day side, and a candidate for the Test captaincy. The nonidentical twins, who were born on June 2, 1965, did not seem close on the surface and did not share a room on tour. "We shared a room together for 20 years as kids" was their stock reply to questions about the perceived coolness of their relationship. Together, however, they were at the heart of Australia's revival as the world's best team.

      Steve made his debut at the age of 20 against India in 1985-86 and did not score a century in his first 26 Tests. His breakthrough came in England in 1989 when he made 177 not out and 152 not out in the first two Tests and finished the series with an average of 126. Despite another successful Ashes tour four years later, it was not until the tour to the West Indies in 1995 that Steve fully matured into the complete Test batsman. His 200 at Sabina Park against a strong West Indian attack was a masterpiece and answered the critics who had consistently questioned his technique against short-pitched bowling. Against England at Old Trafford in 1997, he became only the third Australian to score two centuries in the same Test.

      Once Mark had broken into the Australian team, making 138 on his debut in 1990-91, he rarely looked back. He was out too often when well set, however, to be considered a great batsman. A classic innings of 116 made in 5 hours against South Africa in Port Elizabeth seemed to herald a new stage in Mark's career, but a lean spell followed—notably on the Ashes tour to England—and an inevitable loss of confidence. Surprisingly, given that they batted at numbers four and five, the Waughs' record of partnerships together was fairly thin, though they once made double hundreds in an unbeaten 464 for New South Wales. Both were also excellent fielders—Steve in the gully and Mark at slip—and occasional, though curiously effective, medium-pace bowlers.

ANDREW LONGMORE

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