Editing Mark Waugh (section)

===1996 World Cup===
Waugh was one of the leading players at the 1996 Cricket World Cup in the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>Knight, p. 234.</ref> Opening the batting, he scored 130 from 130 balls in Australia's opening game against [[Kenyan cricket team|Kenya]] in [[Visakhapatnam]].<ref name="k230">Knight, p. 230.</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Vaidya |first=Jaideep |date=3 June 2013 |title=Mark Waugh: A stylist who was a sight for sore eyes |url=https://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/mark-waugh-a-stylist-who-was-a-sight-for-sore-eyes-27387 |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=Cricket Country |language=en-US}}</ref> He combined in a 207-run partnership with his brother, the first double-century stand in World Cup history.<ref name="k230"/> He followed this up with 126 from 135 balls against India in [[Bombay]], frequently hitting through cover and midwicket. The innings made him the first player to score consecutive centuries in World Cup competition.<ref name="k230"/> Waugh then dismissed [[Sachin Tendulkar]] for 90 when he looked likely to win the game for India. Tendulkar charged down the pitch to Waugh's off spin, who responded by bowling a wide, resulting in the Indian's stumping. Waugh was named Man of the Match on both occasions.<ref name="k231">Knight, p. 231.</ref> He made an unbeaten 76 against Zimbabwe in a nine-wicket win in [[Nagpur]]. He scored only 30 from 63 balls,<ref name="k231"/> but took 3/38{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}} in the final group game against the West Indies in [[Jaipur]], which Australia lost.<ref name="k231"/> Australia progressed to the quarter-finals, where they faced New Zealand in [[Madras]], he scored his third century (110) to guide a successful Australian run chase, again winning the man of the match. The innings took Waugh's tournament tally to 472 runs, the record for Australia in a single tournament.<ref>Knight, p. 232.</ref><ref>Piesse, p. 95.</ref> Although he managed only 0 and 12 in the semi-final and final, Waugh finished the tournament with 484 runs at an average of 80.66 and a strike rate of 85.36, second only to Tendulkar.<ref>Knight, pp. 232–234.</ref> He contributed five wickets with the ball.<ref name="odilist"/>

After a four-month break, Waugh returned to international duty with a short tour of the subcontinent.<ref name="k237">Knight, p. 237.</ref> In two tournaments, he scored 207 runs at 25.88 in eight matches, scoring exactly 50 in two matches and taking eight wickets at 36.00.<ref name="odilist"/><!--look for 3/24 --> The Australians then lost a one-off Test against [[Delhi cricket team|Delhi]] at [[Feroz Shah Kotla Ground]], with Waugh scoring 26 and 23.<ref name="k237"/> He took his best First-class career bowling figures of 6/68 in the tour match against the Indian Board President's XI in [[Patiala]] that preceded the Test.<ref name="k371"/>

Waugh had a consistent series despite failing to score a century in the five Tests against the West Indies during the 1996–97 home season,<ref>Piesse, pp. 226–227.</ref> He scored four half-centuries, only failing to pass 50 in the third Test, ending the series with 370 runs at 41.11.<ref name="testlist"/> During the second innings of the second Test in Sydney, Waugh collided with batting partner [[Matthew Elliott (cricketer)|Matthew Elliott]], causing Elliott to be taken from the ground on a stretcher due to a knee injury.<ref>Knight, p. 240.</ref> The fifth Test in Perth marked the 44th time that the Waugh brothers had played together in Tests, surpassing the world record set by [[Ian Chappell|Ian]] and Greg Chappell in the 1970s.<ref>Piesse, p. 116.</ref> In the limited overs format, Waugh was Australia's leading runscorer in the triangular ODI tournament with 358 runs at 59.66, making 102 against the West Indies in Brisbane. He had scored 1059 ODI runs in the 1996 calendar year. However, the team performance was poor and Australia missed the finals for the first time in 17 years. His batting partner Taylor particularly struggled, with only 143 runs at 17.87, attracting substantial media criticism.<ref name="odilist"/><ref name="k242">Knight, p. 242.</ref>

The Australian summer was followed by a tour of South Africa.<ref name="k242"/> Waugh made 26 in the opening Test, which Australia won by an innings.<ref>Knight, pp. 243–244.</ref> In the second Test in [[Port Elizabeth]], Australia were skittled in the first innings for 108 and were forced to chase 270 for victory on a seaming wicket. Waugh came to the crease with Australia at 2/30 on the third afternoon. After a hard-fought afternoon, Australia reached the close of play at 3/154 with Waugh on 54. The next morning he continued to his century, before he was bowled for 116, leaving Australia at 6/258. Australia lost two more wickets, but stumbled to victory with two wickets in hand.<ref>Knight, pp. 245–247.</ref><ref>Piesse, pp. 122–123.</ref> The five and half-hour innings is often regarded as his finest Test performance.<ref name="az"/><ref name="k248">Knight, p. 248.</ref><ref>Piesse, p. 123.</ref> Waugh ended the series with 209 runs at 41.80.<ref name="testlist"/>

In the ODI series, he hit an unbeaten 115 to steer at a successful run chase in the second match in Port Elizabeth, hitting consecutive sixes to reach his century. He missed several matches due to injury—the first match due to a back problem and then two further matches when he split his hand webbing while failing to take a catch in the third match.<ref name="k248"/> Apart from the century, he scored only three further runs at ended with 118 runs at 59.00 for the series.<ref name="odilist"/>

Waugh proceeded to England for his second Ashes tour in 1997 and gained attention upon his arrival for questioning the hunger and toughness of the home team.<ref>Knight, p. 250.</ref> He scored 131 runs at 43.66 as Australia lost all three ODIs, with a top-score of 95 in the final match at [[The Oval]].<ref name="k251">Knight, p. 251.</ref> In the first Test at Edgbaston, Waugh made 5 and 1 as Australia suffered a nine-wicket loss. The English media and public reminded Waugh of his pre-series comments about the [[England cricket team]]. To make matters worse, he was hospitalised for two days in the middle of the match with suspected appendicitis. The condition was eventually diagnosed as a severe viral infection.<ref name="k251"/> Waugh made only 209 runs at 20.90 for the series,<ref name="k258">Knight, p. 258.</ref> with only one half-century.<ref name="testlist"/> He hit two centuries in the tour matches, including one against [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex]] at Lord's.<ref name="fcc">Knight, pp. 364–365.</ref> In the sixth Test, he was dismissed in both innings by his old sparring partner Tufnell,<ref name="k258"/> who he had criticised at the start of the series as a "fairly weak sort of player".<ref name="k251"/>

Waugh's performances in England had stirred questions about his position in the team.<ref name="k258"/> The scrutiny increased after Waugh failed to pass 20 in the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane and dropped a catch.<ref>Knight, p. 261.</ref> Waugh made a turnaround in the second Test in Perth, taking a horizontal airborne catch of [[Chris Cairns]] at full stretch. He proceeded to score 86, including a lofted drive from [[Daniel Vettori]] onto the roof of the Lillee-Marsh Stand. The ball travelled approximately 130&nbsp;m, one of the longest sixes in history.<ref>Knight, p. 262.</ref> Australia went on to win the match and Waugh made 81 in the third Test and ended the series with 196 runs at 39.20, enough to save his position in the team.<ref name="Knight, p. 263">Knight, p. 263.</ref>