“Missed something when he was not in Test side,” Steve Waugh speaks on strange relationship with his twin Mark

Twins Steve and Mark Waugh played 108 Tests together.

There have been many brothers who have played international cricket for many countries, but none of them became as popular as twins Steve and Mark Waugh. Both had amazing careers for Australia, as they played over 100 Tests together and served the country well.

Steve made his Australia debut early in 1985 against India, while Mark’s debut came against England in 1991, surprisingly in place of his brother Steve, who was dropped from the team.

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Steve Waugh played 168 Tests, making 10927 runs with 32 centuries to his name. He also played 325 ODIs, making 7569 runs with 3 centuries. On the other hand, Mark, who opened the innings, played 128 Tests making 8029 runs with 20 centuries. In 244 ODIs, he made 8500 runs with 18 centuries.

Steve Waugh won the World Cup twice, once in 1987 and then in 1999 as Australia captain and brother Mark in the side.

Talking about his relationship with Mark, in a recent interaction with former English cricketer Michael Atherton on Sky Sports YouTube, Steve said, “We were always in the same teams, always in the same class, we lived in the same bedroom for 16 years, we shared the same clothes. We are constant with each other’s reach. We lived in each other’s pockets. We went everywhere together. The comparisons were inevitable.”

Steve, who is a couple of minutes elder to Mark, also touched upon the differences between the twins.

“When we turned 19 and made it New South Wales, we consciously or sub-consciously made a decision to go separate directions, and be our own person, because we were always seen as a couple almost. So in some ways that drove us apart. We had different bat sponsorships, we never did any endorsement together. Our interests varied. On tours, I liked to meet people and click photos. Mark would like to stay at hotels. We had different interests, and it grew from that,” Waugh further said.

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Waugh clarified that though the twins do not call or stay in touch regularly, whenever they meet, the mutual respect is there.

“But we always had mutual respect. I always wanted Mark to do well. When he was not in the Test side, I walked out to the ground, turned around, and just felt that I sort of lost something that he wasn’t there. In some ways, people say it is a strange relationship. We have that respect for each other. We don’t ring up and talk to each other much. But when we catch up, it’s good to see each other,” he added.

When Atherton asked how much the brothers meet now that both have long retired from the game, Steve said, “We don’t catch with each other a lot, we live two hours apart. I have my three kids, he has his horses and his interests. Life still moves on and you go in different directions and that is normal for most people."

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