Editing Mark Waugh (section)

===Consecutive centuries===
In the 1997–98 Test series against South Africa, Waugh finished the year with 0 and 1 against South Africa in the [[Boxing Day Test]] match in Melbourne.<ref name="testlist"/> Waugh scored 100 in the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground to set up an Australian victory. This came during a 116-run partnership with his brother, noted for a particularly menacing spell by [[Allan Donald]] with the second new ball, repeatedly hitting the twins.<ref name="Piesse, p. 229">Piesse, p. 229.</ref><ref>Knight, pp. 264–265.</ref> He batted out the entire fifth day for an unbeaten 115 in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval to deny the South Africans a victory and win the series for Australia.<ref name="Piesse, p. 229"/> Having scored 63 in the first innings, Waugh came the crease late on the fourth day with Australia at 2/17 and attempting to survive for a draw. He was dropped early and was 11 at stumps. Waugh continued to resist on the following day and brought up his century. Struck by a bouncer from [[Shaun Pollock]] late on the final day, Waugh broke the stumps with his bat while walking away, so South Africa appealed for hit wicket, which was denied.<ref>Knight, pp. 265–266.</ref> South African skipper [[Hansie Cronje]] later speared a [[stump (cricket)|stump]] through the umpires' dressing room in anger at the decision.<ref>Piesse, pp. 143–144.</ref> It was only the second time in his career that he had scored consecutive centuries. Waugh took satisfaction in the fact that his century was responsible for saving the Test.<ref name="k267"/> He finished the series with 279 runs at 69.75.<ref name="testlist"/>

The 1997–98 Australian season marked a change in Waugh's ODI career. The Australian selectors changed their policy and picked Test and ODI teams separately, with specialists chosen accordingly in either form of the game. Waugh's captain and opening partner Taylor was dropped.<ref name="Knight, p. 263"/> Australia had trouble finding a suitable partner for Waugh, with [[Michael di Venuto]], Tom Moody and [[Stuart Law]] all trialled as his opening partner. Despite the instability, Waugh compiled 104 to help Australia successfully chase a target against New Zealand in a round-robin match at the Adelaide Oval.<ref>Knight, p. 264.</ref> He finished the series as Australia's leading runscorer with 320 runs at 35.55,<ref name="k265"/> and took seven wickets at 25.43.<ref name="odilist"/> During the finals series, new wicketkeeper [[Adam Gilchrist]] was elevated to the opening position. The new combination got off to a poor start, with Waugh run out for three in a mix-up in the first final,{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}}<ref name="k265">Knight, p. 265.</ref> but the pair went on to become Australia's long term opening pair.<ref name="k267">Knight, p. 267.</ref> After losing all four group matches to South Africa,<ref name="p356">Perry, p. 356.</ref> Australia won the finals series 2–1.<ref name="odilist"/> The partnership with Gilchrist marked a shift in Waugh's role in ODIs. Waugh had previously been more aggressive while Taylor was his partner, but with the naturally aggressive Gilchrist as his partner, Waugh tended to anchor the innings.<ref name="k267"/>

Waugh's strong start to the year continued in two brief ODI series in New Zealand and India, in which he scored 374 runs at 41.56 respectively, with three half-centuries.<ref name="odilist"/> Australia lost the first two Tests in India, with Waugh scoring 66 in the first innings in the first Test in [[Chennai]] but otherwise failing to pass 20.<ref>Knight, pp. 268–269.</ref> In the third Test in [[Bangalore]], Waugh scored his highest Test score of 153 not out while suffering nausea, vomiting and fever. He was 58 at stumps on the second day before being taken ill and requiring overnight injections.<ref>Piesse, p. 157.</ref> It was the first time that he had batted without his helmet, instead using a floppy hat due to the heat and fever. He claimed that he could not recall much of the innings and was batting on "automatic pilot".<ref>Knight, p. 269.</ref> Waugh was the only Australian to aggregate more than 200 runs for the series, finishing with 280 runs at 70.00.<ref>Knight, p. 270.</ref> Australia played nine more ODIs for the year in Asia, spread across three series. Waugh scored 266 runs at 23.25.<ref name="odilist"/><ref>Knight, pp. 368–369.</ref> Waugh was also a part of the limited overs team that won a silver medal at the [[1998 Commonwealth Games]] in [[Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia]], losing the final to South Africa.<ref>Knight, pp. 270–271.</ref> The matches were not accredited as ODIs by the [[International Cricket Council]] (ICC).<ref name="p356"/>

Australia toured Pakistan in late 1998. In the first Test in [[Rawalpindi]], Waugh scored a duck as Australia won by an innings, its first Test win in Pakistan in 39 years.<ref>Knight, pp. 272–273.</ref> His tour was disrupted by an appearance at a judicial hearing to give evidence relating to allegations of match-fixing he made against Saleem Malik.<ref>Piesse, pp. 32–33, 165.</ref><ref name="Knight, pp. 274–275">Knight, pp. 274–275.</ref> After making 42 and 43 in the high-scoring second Test in [[Peshawar]], Waugh scored 117 in the second innings of the third Test in [[Karachi]] to end the series with 228 runs at 45.60.<ref name="testlist"/><ref name="Knight, pp. 274–275"/><ref>Piesse, pp. 171–172.</ref>