Watching Mark Waugh bat in full flow was a purists delight - orthodox strokes that had a classy flourish of the blade and the timing would have his signature all over it. Despite being a dapper with a fluid strokeplay, Waugh also had the temperament to be consistent and that's what made him an important part of Australia's transition from an average team with fighting skills to a dominating side that became the best in the world across both Tests and ODIs. Waugh's other excellent attribute was his fielding, put him anywhere in the park and he would stun you with his prowess although it was the first slip position that he made memorable with his stunts.

As he was born four minutes after his twin brother Steve, the nickname of 'Junior' fell on Mark and for a while in the domestic circuit, the younger Waugh was a shadow of his brother. Although both were excellent in the Sheffield Shield and other competitions, it was Steve who got picked for national duty first. However, considering Mark's skills, it was only a matter of time before he also joined. The younger Waugh got his opportunity in the ODI format in 1988 but endured an inconsistent couple of years. There wasn't any doubt about his range as a batsman but the temperament was shaky, often getting out to lazy strokes.

As a result of the fizzy start to his ODI career, the Test call up obviously got delayed for Mark but ironically that call up came at his brother's expense when Steve was unfit for a game. It was an Ashes Test and Mark grabbed the opportunity with both hands, smashing a century in his debut innings to cement his spot. He had an excellent start to his Test career and subsequently, the confidence started to rub off on his ODI form as well. Mark's career hit a peak from 1994 onward and the next few years saw him getting into elite league of batsmen as he churned out runs with ease and grace across both forms of the game.

Mark loved the big stage and his performances in World Cups is a testimony to this. Although he couldn't taste success in 1996 when the Aussies finished runners-up, he embraced glory in 1999 when the team finally grabbed a World Cup under his brother's captaincy. Mark played a vital part in both the tournaments and his fielding also shone brightly as ever. Apart from the World Cup performances, Mark also enjoyed the Ashes rivalry as most of his best knocks came there. He along with his brother were instrumental in Australia's progress as a world-beating unit after Allan Border and Mark Taylor had sowed the seeds of redemption.

Despite having a glorious career, Mark couldn't end it on his own terms as he had a disappointing time in the 2001-02 season in both formats. The VB tri-series of 2002 at home featuring South Africa and New Zealand was the starting point as the Australians failed to qualify for the final. Both Mark and Steve endured a poor run which led to their sacking after the tournament as the selectors looked forward to the World Cup next year. The focus was to build a new player pool and Ricky Ponting was appointed the ODI captain. Steve continued to lead in Tests and was performing well enough to keep his place but Mark wasn't and Junior decided to quit from international cricket in late 2002.

After his international retirement, he continued to play in the Australian domestic circuit and even plied his trade in county cricket before quitting all forms of the game in 2004. Post his career as a player, Mark was active as a TV commentator before taking up the big role of a National Selector. At his best, there were very few better batsmen in world cricket worth watching than Mark Waugh. The grace he had was unparalleled and so was his fielding. Though there was a minor scar for him when he and Shane Warne were involved with a bookie in 1994 for providing pitch and weather information, he had a distinguished career albeit without the perfect ending.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan