Sydney, June 06: Mark Waugh committed to another season in Australia's domestic competition today, prompting twin brother Steve Waugh to suggest he wants to remain skipper of the national Test lineup for the immediate future. The Waugh twins, 38, were fixtures of the Australian cricket team in the 1990s and until Mark was cut from the national squad last season.
Mark Waugh returned to domestic cricket for New South Wales while Australia beat England in the Ashes series and has signed up again for the 2003-04 season.
Steve Waugh's tenure as Test captain has been hotly debated since he was dropped from the national limited-overs squad last season, although he's led the Australians to Test series wins at home against England and abroad against the West Indies. "I'm pretty keen," said Steve Waugh, looking ahead to the two-Test series against minnow Bangladesh in July. "I haven't made a final decision but it's all very positive.I'm preparing as if I'm going to keep playing."
The world's most capped Test cricketer and Australia's most prolific centurion, Stephen Waugh said a series against Bangladesh, which has lost all but one of its 18 Tests since being elevated to full membership of the international cricket council in 2000, was good for the game.
Waugh said Bangladesh could learn from the rise of Sri Lanka, which improved from minnow to limited-overs world champions within 10 years of gaining full ICC membership. Mark Waugh scored 8,029 runs in 128 Tests and has amassed 26,257 runs in 358 first-class matches at an average of 52.51. Steve Waugh has 10,265 runs from a record 160 Tests at 49.83. Bureau Report