Steve Waugh

Lore & Background

Born at Canterbury Hospital in Campsie, a suburb in South-Western Sydney, Waugh arrived four minutes before his twin Mark. Their father Rodger was a bank official and mother Beverley a teacher. The family settled in Panania. From age six, the twins played organized soccer, tennis, and cricket; in their first cricket match both were dismissed for ducks. They made their first representative team at age eight for Bankstown District under-10s. In 1976, they were the youngest ever selected in the New South Wales Primary Schools' soccer team. Waugh made his first-class debut for New South Wales in 1984–85, batting at number nine and bowling medium pace. In the Sheffield Shield final that season, he scored 71 while batting with the tail to help NSW to victory.

Reader's Guide

Waugh's significance lies in his leadership and longevity. As Australian captain from 1997 to 2004, he led the team to fifteen of their record sixteen consecutive Test wins and to the 1999 Cricket World Cup title. He is considered the most successful Test captain in history with 41 victories and a winning ratio of 72%. He was the world number 1 all-rounder in both Test and ODI cricket until back issues forced him to give up bowling; he then concentrated on batting and became one of the leading batsmen of his time. He is one of only fourteen players to have scored more than 10,000 Test runs. Waugh was named Australian of the Year in 2004 for his philanthropic work and inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in January 2010. He has been listed as one of one hundred Australian Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia and awarded the Order of Australia and the Australian Sports Medal. Described in 2003 as a 'cold-blooded, scientific' leader, cricket columnist Simon Barnes noted that 'Waugh wants to defeat you personally.' In a 2017 fan poll by the CA, he was named in the country's best Ashes XI in the last 40 years.

Did You Know?

• Waugh was born four minutes before his twin brother Mark.
• He was the most capped Test cricket player in history with 168 appearances until Sachin Tendulkar broke the record in 2010.
• He was named Australian of the Year in 2004 for his philanthropic work.
• His son Austin Waugh was named in Australia's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.