Mark Waugh: a classic example of style over substance? It is an easy accusation to make, and in statistical terms, his record will forever pale in comparison with his older brother, whose hunger for runs enabled him to score 150 against every Test team he encountered. But though Mark rarely bothered to dig in for the long haul (only one of his 20 centuries exceeded 150), few batsmen in the world could play with such uninhibited class as Junior at his best. Dean Jones may have regarded him as a protected species to rival the koala, but unlike Jones, Waugh's best invariably came when his side most needed it. Test No. 1 – 138 v England, Adelaide, 1990-91
For a man who arrived in the world just four minutes after his brother, Mark Waugh took an inordinately long time to join Steve in the Australian national team - five years to be precise. But the manner of his arrival has become the stuff of Australian sporting legend. Not only did the younger, flightier sibling replace his hard-grafting brother in the Australian middle-order, he proceeded to achieve in a single innings something that had taken Steve 42 agonising attempts, spread over three-and-a-half years. What is more, he did so with a style and grace that few debutants could ever hope to match. Hooking, cutting and driving with effortless timing and power, he raced to three figures from just 126 balls, with 15 fours. There was not a shred of nervousness to his shotmaking, not even when, early in his innings, the Australian scorecard read 124 for 5.

Test No. 48 – 126 v West Indies, Kingston, 1994-95
Revolution was in the air in Jamaica - and the Waugh brothers were in the vanguard. It had been 22 years since West Indies had lost a home Test series, and 15 years since they had lost anywhere, but Australia had been banging at the palace gates for several series now. In 1992-93, the West Indians had evaded the mob with a one-run victory at Adelaide, but two years later, in a fractious Caribbean encounter, they had nowhere to hide. A bad-tempered series stood at 1-1 coming into the final match, and at 73 for 3 replying to West Indies' first-innings 265, neither side could claim the ascendancy. But in their contrasting styles, Mark and Steve repelled every last ounce of defiance that Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and a brace of Benjamins could summon. As ever, Mark's 126 was overshadowed by Steve's even 200, but without the impetus provided by his 50-ball half-century, the tide might never have turned.

Test No. 62 – 116 v South Africa, Port Elizabeth, 1996-97
Waugh's personal favourite innings came on a beast of a pitch, as green and juicy as a pot of overcooked spinach. It was a match in which no other batsman passed 55, and Waugh's second-innings 116 was a remarkable blend of classy strokemaking and considerable hard-graft. Australia had been blitzed for 108 first time around, and their victory target of 270 was comfortably the highest requirement of the match. But from 192 for 5, Waugh found a crucial ally in Michael Bevan, and the pair added 66 for the sixth wicket. Both men fell with victory in sight, and Shane Warne followed immediately afterwards to throw the match back into the balance. But Ian Healy was on hand to settle Australian nerves - and the series - with a six over backward square leg.

Test No. 78 – 153* v India, Bangalore, 1997-98
The series had already been settled, but Australian pride was at stake after a pair of heavy beatings at Chennai and Kolkata. And, when India posted 424 in their first innings, thanks to Sachin Tendulkar's continued mastery over Warne, a 3-0 whitewash was a distinct probability - not the type of scoreline to please the unofficial world Test champions. But Waugh came into his own on a dusting track, guiding Australia to 400 against Anil Kumble and the debutant Harbhajan Singh. His unbeaten 153 was his highest Test score, and after Mike Kasprowicz had devastated India's second innings, Waugh added a further 33 not out to seal the victory.

Test Nos. 13 and 14 v Sri Lanka, Colombo and Moratuwa, 1992-93
As loved for his flaws as his flair, Waugh never demonstrated his shortcomings more starkly than in 1992-93. As uninspired by the Sri Lankans as Jacques Kallis is emboldened by the Bangladeshis, Waugh endured a shocking run of form, culminating in consecutive Test pairs and the inspired nickname of "Audi". Though Waugh averaged more than 40 against most opponents, he could never raise his game against weaker attacks, averaging 33.23 against India and 24.64 against Sri Lanka. Style over substance? Absolutely. And the game was all the richer for it.

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