Popular Australian cricket player: Mark Waugh

Mark Waugh, who we commonly recognize as Steve Waugh’s twin brother, was one of the finest and most talented strokemarkers in the history of cricket. He had a flawless aura around him and made a stroke so effortlessly that it was a treat to watch him play. He represented the Australian cricket team in test matches during early 1991-late 2002 and made his ODI debut in 1988.

Mark Waugh started off mainly as a right-handed batsman and also contributed as a medium-paced bowler in the test matches but after certain back injuries, had to switch over to being an off-spin bowler. In the Australian ODI team, he was considered to be an all-rounded but with the time, he started focusing on batting which he later excelled in!  This led him to be Australia’s spearheaded one-day runscorer while his 3 centuries made at the World Cup of 1996 won him the stature of being the only batsman to have ever accomplished such an impressive feat. Waugh made another century in 1999 that made him the only Australia to have scored four centuries and score more than 100 runs, that too in a World Cup tournament.

From the mid 1990s – 21^st century, Waugh consistently ranked amongst the 10 highly rates batsman and was well aware of the art of batting strongly when faced with spin bowling. In 2005, he was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia. Presently, he is working as a sport journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald.

 

Best cricket player of Australian cricket team: Mark Taylor

Mark Taylor is a quite popular name in the dimension of Australian cricket player. He played as an opening batsman for the Australian cricket team from 1988-99 and captained the team for a good five years from 1994-1999 wherein he played a highly influential and effective role and contributed to the team’s progress largely in the test innings arcade. Having a strong grasp over his position as an opening batsman, his effective performance as a captain and as a slip fielder made everyone perceive him as a deserved all rounder.

In his first England tour in 1989, Mark Taylor made 839 test runs while for majority of the 104 test matches that he was a part of with a score of 7,252 runs at a average of 43.29 batting, inclusive of 40 fifties and 19 centuries. Being a superb slip that he was, Taylor exhibited a firm grounding with his world record of 157 catches in a test series! Taylor proved to such a progressive leader for the Australian team that he was considered to be one of the best captains that the team ever had.

In 1997, Taylor made an outstanding century at Edgbaston and the next year, he performed an unbeaten feat of 334 runs at Peshawar. Even though he was in a good form, yet six months later, Taylor retired and is now a commentator for the Nine Network. He frequently appears on The Cricket Show with Simon O’Donnell.

 

Famous Australian cricket player: Justin Lee Langer

Justin Lee Langer is an ex left-handed batsman of the Australian cricket team who represented his country in 105 Test matches on International level. He is recognized for his strong and successful partnership with famous Australian cricket player Mathew Hayden at the time. He also occasionally performed the role of a wicket keeper for One day matches owing to his strong built as a fielder.

Langer had a remarkable strike rate i.e. 54.22 which exceeded the achievement of the most notable stroke-makers like some of the best Australian cricket players Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn. He is also known to have own the title of being the highest run-scorer for the Pura Cup and Sheffield Shield matches that he participated in for Western Australia. In 2009, Langer played a match against Worcestershire wherein he made a landmark strike of the highest score in the history of first-class cricket by an Australian player. He was a strong-willed cricketer whose determined demeanor was a highlight. With 394 runs at an average of 43.77, Langer was the leading scorer in the team.

In total, he was part of only eight ODIs at a superb strike rate of 88.88! He won himself quite a lot of International Awards as Man of the Match – a proof of his strong and unrivalled profile. He is still remembered for his aggressive and full of power playing stature.

Famous cricket player of Australia: Steve Waugh

Making his ODI debut against the New Zealand cricket team in 1986, few people could say that Steve Waugh had the charisma of such an influential leader. Not only did he lead his men with a lot of courage and determination, he himself excelled as one of the finest Australian top order batsmen who had a magnificent square cut In his arsenal which was a treat for the photographers.

Born in 1965 in Campsie , Australia , Steve Waugh is a cricket hall of famer who initially came onto the scene as an all round cricketer who wasn’t exceptional in either of the two two departments. But as time passed by, he worked extremely hard on his batting and by the time he retired in 2002, he had played a total off 325 ODI matches in which he scored 7569 runs at an average of 32.90 with 3 centuries and 45 fifties to his name. Steve waugh’s best inning was an inning in which he scored 120* against South African cricket team in a crucial tie during the 1999 Cricket World Cup where his Aussie side seemed down and out. Steve Waugh also retired with 195 wickets to his name which he got at an average of 34.57 and the best bowling figures of 4/33.

Though Steve Waugh represented Australian cricket team in 4 world cups but his most memorable one would have to be the 1999 world cup where he led his team, Australia, who were being regarded as under dogs to a brilliant victory and eventually changed the course of Australian cricket.

Living a retired life and playing an active role as a philanthropist, Steve Waugh will always be remembered as a fighter who never gave up and if the situation demanded, was the last man standing.

Cricket World Cup records: Australia vs Zimbabwe cricket teams

• The two teams have encountered in 8 matches of ICC Cricket World Cup. Australia has won 7 while Zimbabwe managed to win one match as minnows in 1983 Cricket World Cup held in England.
• In all the matches except in which Zimbabwe won, Australian cricket team has dominated Zimbabwe in all three departments of Cricket.
• Super Six match of 1999 cricket World Cup is one of the best match between the two countries as high scores were made by both countries including centuries by players of both teams.
• Mark Waugh of Australia and Neil Johnson of Zimbabwe scored centuries in the Super Six match of 1999 cricket World Cup.
• Zimbabwe has been bowled out four times by Australian cricket team in World Cup matches.
• Australia along with Pakistan was the only team of Common Wealth countries to play in Zimbabwe in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup. England had refused to play in Zimbabwe.
• One of the most rare occasions were recorded when 3 pairs of brothers i.e. Flowers, Strangs and Waughs appeared in a match between Australia and Zimbabwe in the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
• The teams did not play each other in the World Cups of 1975 and 2007.

Australian cricket team won its first match of 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup against Zimbabwe by 91 runs. Australian cricket team will play its second match in 2011 Cricket World Cup against New Zealand cricket team on February 25, 2011.

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