15 Facts about Steve Waugh: The tough cookie

Steve Waugh was inducted into the Australian side when the Australians were the brunt of the litter in World Cricket. As a 20-year old, Waugh established himself as an all-rounder in the Australian side. A ‘tough cookie’ and a cold-blooded captain, Waugh led the Aussies out of the dark years into the light of international cricket. He was also a prominent part of the golden generation as well. That said, here are a few interesting facts about Steve Waugh.

1. Birth:

Stephen Roger Waugh was born on the 2nd of June 1965 at Canterbury, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

2. Tug-a-war

Steve Waugh is affectionately known as ‘Tugga’.

3. Marky Mark and the Brady bunch:

Steve Waugh is the twin brother of Aussie teammate, Mark Waugh. Mark arrived four minutes after Steve. The twins were later joined by two more brothers, Dean, and Danny.

4. The Ambrose showdown:

As of 1995, the West Indies were the best side in the world by a country mile. Despite the retirements of some of their best players, the Windies still had some firepower. That firepower was in the form of Curtly Ambrose, a towering pacer in the grand scheme of things. The West Indies clinched a victory by 9 wickets. However, the match will be remembered for the confrontation between Steve Waugh and Curtly Ambrose. In a later interview, Waugh stated that he thanked his lucky stars that Richie Richardson pulled Ambrose away from the war of words.

5. Blue veins:

Described in 2003 as a “cold-blooded, scientific” leader, cricket columnist of The Times Simon Barnes noted that “Waugh wants to defeat you personally.”

6. The Vivian barrage:

He bowled a series of bouncers at Viv Richards at Brisbane and claimed 3/77 and 5/92 in the Third Test at Melbourne. Of Waugh’s spell at Brisbane, Bill O’Reilly wrote: “The most significant incident of the Brisbane Test … was the salutation young Steve Waugh served up, in the form of three consecutive bouncers, to visiting captain Viv Richards … I took it immediately as an uncompromising message to the opposing skipper that Waugh was sick to death of the bouncer policy that the West Indies have for so long adopted as their standard method of attack.”

7. Coming of age:

Steve Waugh came of age in the 1989 edition of the Ashes in England. The Aussies clinched the Ashes series 4-0 with the victory marking the end of the reconstruction of the Australian side. Waugh smashed two of his 32 centuries in the series as the Aussies under Allan Border, basked in glory.

8. Balls of brass:

There isn’t anything in cricket that Waugh hasn’t seen. He has won and lost the Ashes, won and lost World Cups, beaten and has been beat by the West Indies. His experience classifies him as a ‘once in a lifetime cricketer’.

9. Yo no soy marinero, Soy Capitan:

Steve Waugh took over the captaincy from Mark Taylor in 1999. His first assignment was the World Cup in England, a tournament which they won.

10. Sink or swim:

Having suffered a slump in form in 1991, Waugh was dropped in favor of his younger brother Mark. However, Waugh remained a regular in the ODI team, playing in all ten ODIs, scoring 141 runs at 35.25 and taking seven wickets at 49.42.

11. Misfield in Chepauk:

The tied-Test match at Chepauk in Chennai will forever live in the memory of each and every cricket fan. However, it will be remembered for the misfield of Steve Waugh in the dying moments of the game. Waugh misfielded a ball that was swept by Ravi Shastri to deep square-leg. Although he later went on to state that he got it at a dodgy bounce, it was a misfield.

12. The inveterate sightseer:

“An inveterate sightseer, Waugh wrote a series of successful tour diaries, helped set up a charity for the daughters of lepers in Calcutta, and subscribed fervently to the power of the mind.” – Greg Baum.

13. Davy Jones’ Locker:

Apart from the two World Cups, Waugh has a plethora of awards and medals to his ‘Davy Jones’ Locker’. Waugh has been included in a list of one hundred Australian Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia, awarded the Order of Australia and the Australian Sports Medal.

14. Off with a hook:

He finally retired at the end of the 2003-04 series against India, bowing out with 80, his last shot an untypical heave to backward square leg.

15. The mystical river of Indians:

Having made his debut against India at the MCG in 1985, Waugh called time on his international career against the Indians in 2004 the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. He was carried around the stadium, draped in the Australian flag as he did.