Mark Waugh was one of the few batsmen who could compete with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara in terms of effectiveness and beauty. Waugh was, arguably, the better of the three to watch! But it wasn't all silken grace and beauty, though. Underneath the cool and sometimes detached looking exterior was a burning desire to succeed and Waugh lived up to it.

Mark made his ODI debut in 1989 and has played in three World Cups since. In 1992, Mark Waugh did not play in all the matches. He played in only five of Australia's eight group stage matches and scored 66* against Zimbabwe.

His best performance in the World Cups was in 1996 when he scored three hundreds including a match-winning 110 against New Zealand in the quarter final. 1996 was an exceptional tournament for Waugh as he notched up a mammoth 394 runs, second only to Sachin Tendulkar. Instrumental in Australia's march to the final, Waugh was unable to live up to expectations in the semi-final against the West Indies, falling for nought and in the final against Sri Lanka where he managed only 12.

In 1999, Waugh had a mixed tournament and although he did get a few starts, he could not convert them all into big scores. Playing under brother Steve Waugh was not particularly easy, as he put it, but the two seemed to respect each other and had a good working relationship. But Mark Waugh's stock was on the decline as he could not contribute in crucial matches including the Super Six game against South Africa where he was out for just 5. In the semi-final against the same opposition, Waugh failed again when he fell for nought.

In addition to being a great batsman, Waugh was also one of the best slip fielders in the world. In a team where every fielder prided himself on his performance, Waugh stood out for taking impossible catches and bowlers like McGrath and Warne do owe him a lot for their final tally of wickets!

Often accused of being "aloof", Mark Waugh simply said that it was the way he projected himself. In reality, he was as desperate for success as any other player as was the case when India played Australia in Mumbai in the 1996 World Cup. Mark Waugh scored a magnificent 126 to set up an Australian win that would set in motion a momentum that runs till this day.

Late in his career, Mark Waugh's genius started to be overridden by the grit and determination of older brother Steve. To add to it, Steve went on to win the World Cup for Australia in 1999 and his exploits over the next four years, until retirement, eclipsed Mark Waugh. Mark never got an opportunity to say goodbye the way Steve did, either. He was dropped from the team in 2001 after the home season and never came back…

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