Stephen Rodger Waugh: AO (born 2 June 1965 in Canterbury, New South Wales) is a former Australian cricketer, and fraternal twin of former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh. Steve Waugh captained the Australian Test cricket team from 1999 to 2004. He is the most capped Test player in history with 168 appearances. He is known amongst friends as "Tugga" (as in tug of war), and amongst the public as "Iceman" for his ability to remain calm and cool in high-pressure situations throughout his career. Dean Waugh, another of Steve's brothers, is also a cricketer, having played first-classlist A cricket in Australia. He is known for his philanthropic work, and he was named Australian of the Year in 2004.
On 30 September 2009, Steve Waugh was one of five new members inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
Early life:
Born at Canterbury Hospital in Campsie, a suburb in South-Western Sydney on 2 June 1965, Waugh was one of twin boys born to Rodger and Beverley Waugh. He arrived four minutes before Mark. His father was a bank official and his mother was a teacher within the New South Wales Department of Education. The family settled in the western Sydney suburb of Panania. The twins were later joined by two more brothers, Dean and Danny. From an early age, the parents introduced their children to sport. By the age of six, the twins were playing organised soccer, tennis and cricket. In their first cricket match, the brothers were both dismissed for ducks.
The twins came from a sporting family. Their paternal grandfather Edward was a greyhoundBangalow, Edward earned selection for the New South Wales Country team in rugby league. He was about to join Eastern Suburbs in the New South Wales Rugby League, but had to give up his career due to family reasons.Rodger was Edward's only son and was promising tennis player, who was ranked eighth in Australia in his junior years and was the state champion at under-14 level.On the maternal side, Bev was a tennis player who won the under-14 singles at the South Australian Championships. Her eldest brother Dion Bourne was an opening batsman who played for Bankstown in Sydney Grade Cricket and remains the leading runscorer in the club's history.
The twins made their first representative cricket team when they were selected the Bankstown District under-10s at the age of eight. In 1976, the twins were the youngest ever to be selected in the New South Wales Primary Schools' soccer team. Playing for Panania Primary School, the twins swept their school to win the Umbro International Shield, a statewide knockout soccer competition, scoring all of their team's three goals in the final.They were a key part of their school's consecutive state cricket championships,and were part of school tennis team that came second in the state in their final year. In his final year, Steve was the vice-captain of the cricket team and captained the state soccer team. The twins were instrumental in New South Wales winning the cricket carnival without a defeat, in one match combining in a partnership of 150.
By this time, the increasing time demands led to conflicts between the sports, and were in one case delisted from a team due to a conflict of commitments.The twins progressed to East Hills Boys Technology High School, which had a history of producing Australian international representatives in a number of sports. Aged 13, the twins were invited by their uncle Bourne, then the captain of Bankstown's first grade team, to trial for the club's under-16 team for the Green Shield, and both were selected. Aged fourteen, both made their senior grade cricket debut in 1979–1980, playing in the Fourth XI. The twins broke into East Hills Boys First XI in the same season, and achieved the same level in soccer. In 1980–81 the brothers were elevated to the Third XI mid-season.
The brothers often won formed a two man team—in one match taking 16/85 between them. The pair changed soccer teams to play in the reserve grade for Sydney Croatia in the state league being paid small amounts in the professional league. However, they quickly left as their cricket careers increasingly demanded more time.
The brothers were promoted to Bankstown's Second XI,before being selected for the First XI in the 1982–83 season, aged 17, both making their debut against Western Suburbs. However, Waugh was dropped back to the Second XI,He was regarded as an aggressive player, something that characterised his early international career.
The twins finished high school at the end of 1983.In 1983–84, both were members of New South Wales Combined High Schools and the state under-19 team. Waugh made 170 against Great Public Schools. The brothers were then selected for Australia for the first time. They had been named in the national under-19 team to play a Test and ODI series against the touring Sri Lankan counterparts.
The under-19 series pitted several future international players against one another.Waugh scored 187 in the Third Test at Melbourne as Australia won 1–0.After leaving high school, Waugh enrolled in a teaching course, but withdrew after a few lectures.He made his maiden First XI century during the seasonwith tons against Sydney University and Waverley.
At the start of the 1984–85 season, the brothers were included in the New South Wales state squad.
At the end of the season, the twins signed a contract to spend the Australian winter to play for Egerton in the Bolton League in Lancashire in northern England. Each club was allowed to have one professional; Steve was officially designated as such but would split the earnings with Mark. The twins were billeted with a local family. However, during the year, an Australian rebel tour to South Africa was staged, breaking the boycott against the apartheid regime. Some players defected from the Australian Test team to play in South Africa. This resulted in Dave Gilbert being promoted to the national squad, forcing him to forfeit his Esso scholarship, which allowed him to play Second XI cricket in the County Championship. Steve was selected to replace Gilbert with Essex, leaving Mark as the lone professional
Early international career:
Waugh made his first-class debut for New South Wales (NSW) in 1984–85,batting at number nine and bowling medium pace. In the Sheffield Shield final that season, he scored 71while batting with the tail to help NSW to victory. After ten first-class matches for NSW,he made his Test debut against India in the 1985–86 season, in the Second Test at Melbourne. He scored 13 and 5 and took 2/36 in the first innings. Failing to make a substantial score in the series (he tallied 26 runs in four innings), Waugh was retained for the subsequent tour of New Zealand. He had a good all-round match in the Second Test at Christchurch, making 74 and claiming 4/56, but his batting average was only 17.40 for the series, scoring 86 runs Waugh had more success in the one-day format during the season. He made his debut against New Zealand at the MCG and took 1/13 and a catch. He did not bat as the match was washed out. He was retained for all of Australia's 12 matches in the triangular tournament, scoring 266 runs at 38.00 with two half-centuries, including a top score of 81 in the Australia Day victory over India. He took seven wickets at 33.00.Waugh was retained for all four ODIs on the tour of New Zealand, scoring 111 runs at 27.75 and taking four wickets at 39.75.
The Australian selectors persisted with Waugh, and he toured India in 1986, despite having scored only 113 runs at 12.56 in his Test career. During the three Tests, Waugh had limited opportunities and scored 59 runs for once out and took two wickets. At this stage of his career, Waugh bore a heavy workload as a bowler although he was ostensibly selected for his batting.[citation needed] He played in all six ODIs on tour, scoring 111 runs at 55.50 and taking seven wickets at 35.86.
He bowled a long spell, taking 3/76, in the First Test against England at Brisbane in 1986–87, then scored 0 and 28 as Australia slumped to defeat. In the Second Test at Perth, he made 71 and had match figures of 5/159 including 5/69 in the second innings, then he scored 79 not out in the drawn Third Test at Adelaide. Scores of 49 and 73 in the last two Tests, gave him series figures of 310 runs (at 44.29) and ten wickets (at 33.60), a fighting effort in a team defeated 1–2. The win in the Fifth Test was the first time that Waugh was in a victorious Test team, in his 13th match.Waugh played in all of Australia's 13 ODIs for the home season, scoring 372 runs at 37.20 with two half-centuries and taking 21 wickets at 21.80.Waugh regularly performed with both bat and ball. In a match against Pakistan, he scored 82 and then took 4/48 but could not stop the visitors taking a one-wicket victory from the second last ball. He then scored 83* and took 2/30 in an Australia Day victory on England. He was unable to maintain his form in the finals, scoring one and one and taking a total of 1/78 as England won 2–0. Early in his international career, Waugh was a natural, uninhibited strokeplayer who liked to drive off the back foot. He could score quickly, but was inconsistent at Test level In the shorter game, he often accelerated the scoring in the later overs of the innings. As a bowler, he employed a carefully disguised slower ball bowled from the back of the hand, and regularly sent down the final overs, when this change of pace was difficult to score from.
1987 World Cup:
The 1987 World Cup, played on the Indian subcontinent, was the turning point of Waugh's career. Having scored 19* in the death overs against India in the first match, Waugh's tight bowling in the closing overs finished with his dismissal of Maninder Singh in the final over, which secured a one-run victory. In the following match against Zimbabwe, Waugh scored 45 before conceding only seven runs in six overs of bowling as the Australians won by 96 runs. In the following match against New Zealand, Waugh bowled the last over with the Kiwis requiring seven runs for victory: he restricted them to only three runs by taking three wickets in the over. He ended with 2/36, as one of the last over wickets was a run out.
In the second round robin rotation, Waugh took 1/59 and scored 42 in a 56-run loss to India, before taking 2/37 in a 17-run win over New Zealand. In Australia's final group match, Waugh scored 10* before taking 1/9 from four overs in a 70-run win over Zimbabwe. Australia qualified for the semi-finals and faced co-hosts Pakistan on their home soil in Lahore. Batting first, Waugh hit 16 from the final over of the innings in a cameo of 32*, a match that Australia won by 18 runs. In the final, he scored an unbeaten five in a brief innings at the end of the innings. He was a key player as Australia defended a target of 254 against England at Kolkata. He claimed the wickets of Allan Lamb and Phillip DeFreitas in the 47th and 49th overs as England stumbled towards the end of the run-chase. Australia won by seven runs to claim the World Cup for the first time. Waugh compiled 167 runs at 55.66 and took 11 wickets at 26.18.These performances in tight situations earned him the nickname of "Iceman".
Omission:
He suffered a form slump during the 1990–91 Ashes series in Australia, and was dropped for the Fourth Test at Adelaide after making only 82 runs at 20.50. He was replaced by his twin Mark, who scored a century on debut.
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.
Recalled for the Third Test in Trinidad during the 1991 tour of the Caribbean, he and Mark became the first twins to play in a Test match together. However, he failed to post a significant score and was dropped for the Fifth Test, Australia's only win for the series.
He played in all five ODIs and scored 86 runs at 28.66 and took five wickets at 30.60.
Waugh remained out of the Test team for eighteen months and did not see action in the five-day format in 1991–92 season.Nevertheless, Waugh played in all 18 ODIs for the season. In the triangular series, he scored only 146 runs at 18.25 but consistently took wickets, with 16 scalps at 19.00. As a result, he retained his position in the team for all eight of Australia's group matches in the subsequent 1992 Cricket World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand. He scored 187 runs at 26.71 and took eight wickets at 34.63. He scored 55 and took 2/28 in a 128-run win over Zimbabwe as Australia failed to progress beyond the group stage.
He returned as number three batsman for the 1992–93 home Test series against the West Indies, but his form was again moderate. His 228 runs at 25.33 was bolstered by a score of 100 in the Third Test in Sydney. Waugh called this "probably the most important hundred of my Test career ... word had reached me that if I didn't get runs, then I was going to be dropped".
Solid performances on the tour of New Zealand, where he scored 178 Test runs at 44.50, enabled Waugh to hold his position on the 1993 Ashes tour of England. He completed his tour with 120 runs at 30.00 and three wickets at 57.66 in the five ODIs. The three-match ODI series in England preceded the Tests and Waugh scored 41 runs at 20.50 and took five wickets at 30.20.
During the Test series, Michael Slater became the regular opener and Boon returned to the middle order. Waugh gained the number six position ahead of two promising Western Australians, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn. In the Fourth Test at Headingley, Waugh's 157 not out earned comparisons to his efforts in 1989 and he shared an unbroken stand of 332 with Allan Border. He also scored half-centuries in the First and Fifth Tests and ended with 416 at 83.2 from limited opportunities — he played nine innings, only five of which were completed. Australia's top order batting dominated the English attack, and the tourists retained the Ashes 4–1.
New approach:
Returning to Australia, he solidified his position by scoring an unbeaten 147 against New Zealand in an innings victory in the Third Test at Brisbane, ending the series with 216 runs once dismissed. He missed part of the 1993–94 triangular ODI tournament with New Zealand and South Africa due to a hamstring injury in late December, as well as the first two Tests against the South Africans. He returned for the end of the ODIs and ended with 141 runs at 23.50 and taking four wickets at 54.50. Waugh played in the Third Test at Adelaide Oval in late January with Australia trailing 1–0. He scored a 160 and took 4/26 as Australia won the Test and levelled the series. He was named as the international player of the [Australian] season
He took 5/28 and scored 86 in the Second Test of the return series in South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town to help Australia level the series 1–1 after losing the first at Wanderers in Johannesburg. Another half century saw him end with 195 runs at 65.00 and his bowling was at its most productive in five years, with 10 wickets at 13.00.In the ODI series, he received the player of the series for his all-round efforts, which hauled Australia back from a deficit of 2–4 to draw the series at 4–4. Waugh took 2/48 in the final match as Australia levelled the series by one run. He ended with 291 runs at 48.50 and five wickets at 56.40.
At the conclusion of the tour, the Australian Cricket Board interviewed Waugh, along with David Boon, Mark Taylor and Ian Healy to discern their opinions on the direction of the team after the impending retirement of Allan Border as captain. In spite of Waugh's greater experience, Taylor was granted the captaincy, while Healy was made vice-captain.
The new leadership took the team to Sri Lanka for the Singer World Series ODI tournament and then on a Test-playing tour of Pakistan. Waugh scored 53 runs at 17.66 and took five wickets in 16.20. On the latter tour, Waugh made 73 in the First Test, which Australia agonisingly lost by one wicket. His 98 in the Second Test at Rawalpindi was notable for his survival against a hostile barrage of short-pitched bowling from Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. He eventually fell when a bouncer struck his body and rolled onto the stumps.A shoulder injury forced him out of the final Test, which Australia drew and therefore lost the series.
During the 1994–95 Ashes series against England, he narrowly missed centuries in the Second and Fifth Test in Melbourne and Perth respectively, when he was 94 and 99 not out respectively when the last wicket fell. In the second instance, his brother Mark was run out after a mix-up while running for the injured Craig McDermott.It was an uneven series performance, scoring 94* and 26* in the Second Test and 99* and 80 in the Fifth, but not passing 20 in the six innings of the other three Tests. He ended the series with 345 at 49.28 and did not bowl for the entire series. Waugh played only one ODI for the season, scoring a duck and not bowling a ball.The season ended with short ODI tournament in New Zealand, which Australia won. Waugh scored 81 runs at 27.00 in four matches and did not bowl
ODI captain:
Waugh took over the captaincy of the one-day side in 1997–98, after captain Mark Taylor and vice-captain Ian Healy, the two oldest players in the team were droppep following Australia's failure to qualify for the Australian tri-nations tournament in the 1996–97 season.[citation needed]1999 Cricket World Cup,[70] with new wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist chosen primarily on his batting skill in response to the use of Romesh Kaluwitharana by the successful 1996 Sri Lankan team.[citation needed] The new team made a difficult start, losing all four of its preliminary matches against South Africa as Michael di Venuto, Tom Moody and Stuart Law were all tried as Mark Waugh's new opening partner.[71][34][35]
However, with Gilchrist's elevation to opener in the finals series, Australia defeated the South Africans 2–1. Waugh scored 53 and 71 in his two innings, and ended the series with 181 runs at 22.63. He bowled only four overs and took a solitary wicket in the series, which was his first ODI wicket in over a year.
Waugh scored steadily in the 1997–98 Test season against New Zealand and South Africa, getting to 80 three times in six Tests without going on to a century and averaging 40.89; Australia won both series. He bowled more often than in the preceding few years and took six wickets at 17.33.
The southern hemisphere season ended with Waugh leading his first overseas tour, a four-match ODI tour of New Zealand. He scored 112 runs at 37.33 and took three wickets at 42.00 as the series was drawn 2–2.
On the 1998 tour of India, he hit 80 in the Second Test at Calcutta, but missed the following Test due to injury. He ended with 152 runs at 38.
He recovered to lead in the triangular tournament in India. Australia won both games to Zimbabwe but lost both to India. However, Waugh's men turned the tables in the final to beat the Indians by four wickets. Waugh contributed with bat and ball, taking 2/42 and scoring 57. This was followed by a triangular tournament in Sharjah, where Australia won all four group matches against India and New Zealand. This time, the Indians turned the table to win the final by six wickets despite Waugh's 70. Waugh totalled 254 runs at 28.22 and eight wickets at 33.50 for the two tournaments.
Later in the year, he top scored with 157 in the First Test against Pakistan at Karachi, enabling Australia to force an innings victory and gain their first victory in the country for 39 years. It formed the basis of Australia's 1–0 series win, in which Waugh scored 235 runs at 58.75.
Waugh led the ODI team in a 3–0 sweep of Pakistan after the Tests, but he managed only 40 runs at 13.33.
The following season, Waugh suffered hamstring injuries and missed the majority of the ODI tournament.[citation needed] In the two matches in which he played, Waugh made only a duck and 20 and Australia lost both matches. Shane Warne led Australia to victory in his absence,[citation needed] winning eight of the remaining 10 matches.
Waugh began the Ashes series with centuries in the First Test at Brisbane (112) and the Third Test at Melbourne but was criticised for taking singles off the first ball of the over, and exposing the tail-end batsmen to the strike. Stuart MacGill and Glenn McGrath fell to Darren Gough after one such instance as Australia collapsed in the second innings whilst chasing a small target. This criticism could be considered more than a little unfair, however, given his strong record overall of batting well with lower order batsman such as Merv Hughes, Jason Gillespie, Ian Healy, Shane Warne and even Glenn McGrath precisely by putting his faith in them. In the Fifth Test of the season, Waugh was involved in a century partnership with brother Mark for the second consecutive year. Again however, he fell within sight of triple figures for 96, while his brother reached his century. Australia won the Test and the series 3–1.
1999 World Cup victory:
Australia then had a slow start to the 1999 World Cup in England. After a scratchy win against Scotland, Australia suffered defeats to New Zealand and Pakistan, so they had to win their two remaining group matches (against Bangladesh and the West Indies), then all three "Super Six" matches to progress to the semi-finals: this meant seven consecutive matches without defeat to win the World Cup. After defeating Bangladesh, Waugh and Michael Bevan were criticised for deliberately batting slowly in order to minimise damage to the net run rate of the West Indies. This would enhance Australia's chances: if the West Indies' run rate remained high, they would qualify ahead of New Zealand. Since the Australians had lost to New Zealand, it would be the Kiwis that carried two points through to the next phase if the West Indies was eliminated. If the West Indies proceeded, then Australia would carry over two points from the win.
When questioned about the ethics of this manipulation at a press conference, Waugh retorted, "We're not here to win friends mate".Having beaten India and Zimbabwe in their first two Super Six matches, Waugh saved his best for two must-win games against South Africa: he scored an unbeaten 120 against South Africa in the "Super Six" phase and 56 in the semi-final. The latter match was tied and Australia progressed to the final, where they crushed Pakistan by eight wickets to win the trophy.
The World Cup victory did not immediately turn around Waugh's fortunes in the Test arena. The following tour to Sri Lanka continued the difficulties, when Australia lost the First Test at Kandy, a result exacerbated by a horrific fielding collision between Waugh and Jason Gillespie. Waugh's nose made contact with Gillespie's shin as both attempted a catch. Gillespie suffered a broken leg that sidelined him for 15 months,[citation needed] and Waugh had his nose broken. Although Waugh returned for the following match,[81] the last two Tests were drawn due to interruptions from monsoonal weather.[citation needed] In losing 0–1, the Australians struggled to combat the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan.Waugh had a lean series with 52 runs at 17.33.[33] Waugh's team then travelled an inaugural Test against Zimbabwe at Harare. Australia won by ten wickets and Waugh's 151 not out was the first century in Tests between the nations. After the team's return home, John BuchananGeoff Marsh as team coach.
World record of 16 consecutive Test victories:
The 1999–00 Test season, his first as captain in a home series, saw further change as Gilchrist ousted Healy from the wicket-keeper's position. With Gilchrist averaging over 50,[citation needed] the team went on to claim a clean-sweep of both Test series, 3–0 against Pakistan and India respectively.Waugh had lean stretch during the Pakistan series, scoring 58 runs at 14.50, but his team won by margins of ten wickets, four wickets and an innings respectively. Waugh returned to form in the First Test against India at the Adelaide Oval, scoring 150 in the first innings. Waugh only passed fifty once more in the series to end with 276 runs at 55.20. Australia won all three Tests by comfortable margins of 285 runs, 180 runs and an innings respectively.
After losing their first match, his team proceeded to win the season's triangular ODI tournament without further defeat. They then toured New Zealand and won the ODI series 5–1, losing their final match, which ended a world record of 14 consecutive ODI victories.They then swept the Tests against New Zealand 3–0 in early 2000, taking the Tests by 62 runs, six wickets and six wickets respectively.Waugh led the way in the Second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington with an unbeaten 151 but otherwise did not pass 20, totalling 214 runs at 53.50. His men had won all nine of their Tests during the southern hemisphere summer.
His team continued their winning streak with an undefeated home season in 2000–01 when the West Indies were white-washed 5–0. The first two Tests were won by an innings, and the Second Test at the WACA Ground brought a twelfth consecutive Test victory, surpassing the record held by the 1980s West Indies team led by Clive Lloyd. Waugh missed the Third Test with injury and Gilchrist led the team in his absence and kept the winning streak alive.[citation needed] Waugh returned for the last two Tests and scored centuries in the first innings of both Tests with 121* and 103 respectively, which Australia won by 352 runs and six wickets respectively. Waugh compiled 349 runs at 69.89
Waugh then led the Australians undefeated in the triangular ODI tournament against the West Indies and Zimbabwe, despite employing a rotation system which saw the team often understrength with players rested.
Failure in India:
The only significant result that Australia had failed to achieve during Waugh's international career was victory in a Test series in India. Waugh began calling this the "Final Frontier" as Australia had not won there since 1969–70. Australia easily won the First Test at Mumbai by ten wickets to extend the winning sequence to 16., looked set for defeat in the Second Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata after conceding a first innings lead of 274. top-scored in the first innings with 110. Waugh chose to enforce the follow-on, the only time that Australia had chosen to do so for more than five years. However, V. V. S. Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180) for the entire fourth day's play and set Australia a target of 384 on a dusty, spinning wicket. The Australians were unable to cope with the spin of Harbhajan Singh on the final day, and became only the third team to lose a Test after enforcing the follow-on.[94][95][96] Starting the final Test well, Australia's batting collapsed on the second morning, losing 6/26 after Waugh became the sixth batsman to be given out handled the ball—he pushed a ball from Harbhajan away from the stumps after being hit on the pads.
Waugh's team regrouped and won a 4–1 series victory over England during the 2001 Ashes tour. He scored 105 in the First Test at Edgbaston as the Australians started the series with an innings victory. Waugh did not pass 50 in the next two Tests, but Australia won both by eight and seven wickets respectively to retain the Ashes.However, Waugh pulled a calf muscle and missed the Fourth Test at Headingley which Australia lost. his final Test innings on English soil at The Oval, he combined with brother Mark (120) in a partnership of 197, and scored 157 not out. Australia won by an innings to seal the series 4–1, with Waugh scoring 321 runs at 107.00.
He was unable to maintain this form during the 2001–02 Australian season, failing to score a century in the six Tests against New Zealand and South Africa; The first two Tests against New Zealand were drawn due to rain, and the Third also ended in a draw. failed to pass double figures until scoring 67 in the second innings of the final Test, finishing the series with 78 runs at 19.50.
Australia then went on to face South Africa, who were the second-ranked Test team in the world and were seen as the leading challengers to Australian supremacy.
Waugh managed only eight and 13 in the First Test,but Australia managed to win by 246 runs in any case. best score of the series was 90 in the Second Test at the MCG. His innings was ended by a run out decision, which the umpire did not refer to the video umpire. Waugh attracted criticism for not leaving the ground until he had watched a replay of the incident on the stadium's video screen.[citation needed] Australia powered to a nine-wicket win and then polished off a 3–0 sweep with a ten-wicket triumph in the Third Test at the SCG, with Waugh scoring 30.
Outside cricket:
Waugh helps to raise funds for a leper children's colony, "Udayan", in Calcutta. He reportedly also encouraged his players to learn about and enjoy the countries they visited and played in, presumably partly to reduce the siege mentality of some previous Australian teams playing in south Asia.
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. Steve Waugh was recently stated in an article as commenting: "If you don't help people who are in need, it's just not cricket". He is also a prolific author and his ever expanding series of tour diaries and thoughts provide an insight into the mind of Steve Waugh. Recently, he has written an auto-biography called Out of my comfort zone, a book which has brought lots of controversy.
Waugh was named Australian of the Year in 2004, in recognition of both his sporting achievements and charity work. Waugh is married to Lynette with three children and was named Australian Father of the Year in 2005. Following retirement, Waugh established the Steve Waugh Foundation. The foundation is aimed at children who have a disease, an illness or an affliction that does not meet the set criteria of other charitable organisations.
Waugh worked as an athletics liaison officer for Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. was also involved with the Australian Football side during the Asian Cup, assisting the team as a psychological mentor.[citation needed]
Waugh has been touted as a potential viable candidate for Australian government elections, although he personally disavows any political plans. Prior to the 2007 Federal Election, rumours were published in Crikey that Waugh might be the Australian Labor Party candidate for the seat of Bennelong, although subsequently Maxine McKew was nominated.
Honours:
- On 3 February 2009 Steve Waugh became the 30th cricketer inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
- Waugh was awarded the Australian Sports Medal on 14 July 2000.
- He was awarded the Australian of the Year award in 2004, for his cricketing feats also for his work with charities, most noticeably, Udayan Home in Barrackpore, India, helping children suffering with leprosy.
- In the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2003, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), "for service to cricket as a leading player, and to the community, particularly through the Udayan children's home".
- He is an Australian Living Treasure.
