From a very early age, Waugh’s life centred around sports. In the book, with great feeling he recounts his early competitive bouts with twin Mark (including scooter-racing down the driveway), his decision to give up soccer in favour of cricket, an early dressing-down from Barry Richards who wanted him to cut out the big hits during a practice session. For years before he entered our collective consciousness in the mid-1980s, he was focusing his energies on becoming good enough to represent Australia. Then one day, two decades later, he played the last shot of his international career, watched the ball land in Tendulkar’s hands at square leg, and knew that his days as an international cricketer were over. And he was still only 38 years old.

Now I’m not for a moment suggesting that Waugh has already done all the most notable things of his life. He will probably go on to explore and find fulfilment in other areas of life now, discover talents that have hitherto been untapped, spend more time with his wife and children, and on social causes like Udayan. I’m sure he’ll continue to be involved with cricket too - as administrator, coach, or in some other capacity. But the point is, his star in the firmament has already been set. At a relatively young age, he has already accomplished everything he will be best remembered for at the end of his life.

So it is with most of the great athletes. They spend much of their early lives fine-tuning the qualities of body and mind that will take them to the zenith of their profession. These qualities are then showcased on an international arena for a few years, they learn everything there is to learn about celebrity and adulation in that period...and then, one day, it’s over. They are no longer good enough to do the thing that has (in most cases) been an obsession since childhood.

There’s something so scary about this. I’m a journalist, a profession that requires a certain set of skills - a talent for interviewing, reportage, writing and so on- and I keep trying to improve on these. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be told that these abilities have a sell-by date: that in 10 years from now, or even 5, I won’t be able to exercise them in a competitive arena. How strange it must be for a professional sportsperson to know these things. And consequently, how intense (and how rich) that relatively short period of their lives must be - every triumph and every disappointment must be accentuated to an extent that people in most other professions can only guess at.

P.S. For too many reasons for me to gush about here, the Waugh book is very highly recommended. I imagine most of the other contributors on this forum would already have read it or at least got their hands on it. If not, do so immediately - and that goes for readers too.

steve waugh didn hang around the team for too long denying a position for a better younger player....Unlike ganguly who offers nothing for the indian team yet will take the place of a promising batsman like kaif or even yuvraj...Shame ganguly shame....its time to go

I can't wait to get my hands on his work. While they are at it I hope they also release some of his tour diaries. Sports biographies are books I love just for the reasons you have outlined here. Hope to read about other cricket books here. good going

I think Steve Waugh is a great cricketer. He was the best captain I have ever seen after Imran Khan.

He was most determent man on the field. The greatest Fighter in cricket.

I am really jelus of Steeve as a Cricketer.

The day he left the game...game has lost its charm.

He is one in a million guys ! Who gave everything in his life to re-build australian cricket. I am eagerly waiting to get one of his biograohies.

I am not big fan of Ganguly but I still I think Ganguly is not that out of utility player. His test days are still there. May be he will prove all his critics wrong by smashing some good knocks and what else can be better for Indian cricket.

He was one of those rare cricketers who always performes when his team was in trouble.An inspiration to all cricketers/sports persons not only in sporting aspect but also in his social work.one more thing he should be given credit to is he was the main reason for making test cricket more interesting by making his batsman to score at a faster rate and nice to see many teams following that and we see very few draws nowadays.

I wonder if the book is fair when it talks about mental disintegration - I think all Aussies get away with it because they win so many matches that when the opposition complains, it just looks like bad losing. Still, the man stands for solidity, reliability and anchoring a team through a crisis. No other cricketer in the last 20 years has been able to reinvent himself so successfully midway through a career, I think. Hats off, Tugga. And here's hoping noone gets run out on the way out!!

In every profession perople retire, you will also, so did Steve Waugh. The difference is that he retires with a future to look at and he will build a new career, but in other professions where one retires at age of 60 not much is left in terms of learning ability and finding new interests... So dont worry about a sprotspersons life...

Quite easily the best captain in international cricket over the last 50 years or so, after Imran Khan. Though he was an awesome captain (and I'm more a fan of Waugh the batsman than Waugh the captain), I dont think he was ever really tested. He had a team of some of the most brilliant cricketers of the 20th century at his disposal. Great cricketing brain!!! Cant wait to read his book!

Cricket has seen a dramatic influx of money in the last 2 decades and it must be pointed out that Steve Waugh has done extremely well for a relatively small (revenue wise) market sport. It is good to see cricketers getting rewarded for their hard work. However, I do believe that we need more parity in earnings of international and domestic cricketers. Not suggesting we introduce a salary cap in cricket. I think this parity can be achieved without slashing the salaries/match-fees of international cricketers if new sources of revenues were generated. For example, the PCB may want to launch a marketing campaign urging people to attend Test matches. This would come at a considerable but could potentially bring in a steady and healthy stream of cash in the future, all of which could be directed towards the salaries of domestic players.

There have been times when Steve Waugh has got under my skin, for example the tour to India in 2001 and the constant complaining over Sourav Ganguly, (hows that for mental disintegration Steve?). But he is a truly great cricketer and a leader of men. He took attacking cricket to a new level with his relentless, aggressive captaincy. He displays his human side with his work for Udayan. Kudos SR Waugh on a wonderful contribution to cricket and the many memorable moments throughout.

Tugga is not finished yet, apart from his charity works he has a lot to give back to the game which made him what he is today. He is already planning a cricket academy in Kolkota. I am sure at some stage he will take up an international coaching assignment.

Great post. It MUST BE scary when you know that you have just 5-10 years to do most of what you wanted (and loved) to do, after which you will be out of circulation.

However, the likes of Steve Waugh have had it better than the countless other lesser mortals in cricket like the Ranji players, who put in similar efforts and sacrifices but are not good or lucky enough to make it to the top levels. They end up at 35, look at their bank balance and what they have achieved so far and wonder - what the heck have I been doing all these years? Opportunities post retirement are very rare, not lucrative and they have very little marketable skills in the corporate world. Same goes for those wonderful folks who retire from the Army.

So, while it may be scary for Waugh, he has achieved and earned enough to last a few generations. And yeah, I will be contributing to that by buying the book.

I think Mark Taylor was a better captain than Steve Waugh, may be had a greater intuition and feel for what to do, great risk taker. But Steve Waugh is of course a deadset legend.

Great Book, must read for all Cricket Buffs

My favourite cricketer of all time. Mr. Waugh is everything a cricketer should be on the field - a fighter, a tireless perfectionist, a listener, an inspiration to his team mates, and a man whose leadership credentials leave no room for mixed signals; he is also an example to cricketers with his demeanour and conduct off the field.

The game of cricket lost a fantastic ambassador when he retired.

I will defineatly be purchasing this book.

Good luck, Steve.

Excellent post Jai. Must be a really strange feeling mentally to be a professional athlete. No wonder the best of them have to be mentally rock-solid like Waugh. Can't wait to read Steve Waugh's book myself.

On another note, I didn't find a single (even remote) mention of Ganguly in Jai's original post but some readers seem to want to drag that issue in here as well. For heaven's sake, why this obsession!

I agree that Stephen Rodger Waugh is a legend due 2 d various batting exploits, his attacking and aggressive captaincy and his ability 2 perform when it really matters. Dont get me wrong, i really admire Tugga , even though i am more of a fan of Mark Waugh, but lets look at it from a different point of view. Even though Steve attributes his rise in cricket 2 his competitive attitude in the younger days, lets face it , i think the difference between him and many Steve Waughs coming through in Indian cricket is the basic infrastructure. Steve and Mark started playing at a very young age and they had a family and very good resources 2 back them 2 reach where they r now. Offcourse they had the talent, but if Australia can produce such a huge no of top drawer talent with a population base of 20 million , y can't India with 1000 million? U might say nos dont make a difference and its the ability that counts , i for one can say if tugga was born in India he wouldnt b where he is now. At the same time , i believe that if the cricket crazy indians were brought up in an infrastructure where ur basic abilities r honed and tuned with such back up as provided in Australia, India should b dominating cricket ever since they started playing. I have known so many of my friends who r great talents who couldnt make it bcoz of family pressures , cricket politics , lack of backup and support this being some of the many ailments afflicting indian cricket. At times i am astounded at the pace kids generate in rural fields and wonder if only they could b followed up. Well as an end 2 this post, even though 2 elevate oneself as tugga has done from the greats 2 the legends u need that extra degree of determination and attitude, I believe that 2 reach the greats its the cricketing upbringing that counts , and from so many greats a legend must always come out.

Steve Waugh's autobiography not marketing-driven? Give me a break! All this reverence towards S. Waugh that comes from Indian cricket followers seems to have a lot to do with the fact that he does a lot of charity work in India. I can assure you that in Australia we are very ambivalent about S. Waugh, many cricket fans considering him a selfish and mean-spirited cricketer who all too often brought the game into disrepute with his "win-at-all-costs" attitude, and was always very careful to look after his own interests as much as the team's.

As for his writing, it is cliche-ridden garbage, and after some 8 tour diaries covering most of what he'd done as a cricketer, who could possibly want to know anything more about the man? And the title - "Out of My Comfort Zone" - a lazy cliche that shows a writer unprepared to think up an imaginative title - in other words, as a writer, S. Waugh is deeply ensconsed within his comfort zone.

One of the very best who always dilivered under pressure and who always marshelled his runs with just the tail enders around..
I guess i shud get the book ASAP!

Well , much hav been written about Tugga there...doesnt leave much to write for me. But i wd like to mention that his was a one of d best cricketing brains ever. Took attacking cricket to a whole new level. Always willing to take risks , had loads of confidence. Played as hard as anyone can. As tough as steel..saved Australia so many times. Arguably the best fighter the game has seen. Moreover... i hav this gut feeling that he'll b the coach of Indian cricket some day. Waiting for Tugga to strike !!...till then Chapell's doing a really fine job. Heaven's sake...we r going in rite direction....World we r comming , hopefully India will emerge as a numero Uno ...best of luck Dravid ,Chapell nd all other team members. Keep p d gd wrk :)

A diehard soldier, then an awe-inspiring general and later a visionary. Australian cricket is forever indebted to SR Waugh for his service as a batsman and captain.

A dreamer who has given hope to the scantly-talented average cricketer that if some are born to be great, others can buy greatness at the expense of sweat and blood.

Long live his irrepressible approach to cricket for cricket is the better for it.

PeterS, you might want to check back with the rest of Australia before posting a comment like that. I for one think that Steve Waugh was an unselfish cricketer and held the team in much higher value than his own preformance.
Remember when he was dropped at the start of his career. Back then he was selfish. Playing flashy hooks and drives. He came back a mature unselfish player.

Post your own opinions on the board but don't state that your opinion is that of the entire country.

Cant agree more with John F Kennedy's post. Waugh was not a great captain. True, he was successful - He had a great team and the team won. Yet he was brillian enough to lose some tests that should have been won by Australia.
I fully agree that he was very selfish and cared about his average that the team's victory. The number of times he has taken singles of the first ball of the over with 10 or 11 at the other end is countless.
See the fourth test between Eng and Aus at the MCg in 98-99. Aus need 14 to win with 4 wkts in hand. What does Waugh do? Single of the first ball of the over. Result - Aus lose by 12 runs.

Its a sad reality of all sportsperson's life that they have a limited time to pursue their dream to their fullest capability. For every Lara & Waugh there are hundreds of thousands who couldn't make it for one reason or another. Its no wonder why many can't let go when their days are nearing an end.
Sport like life is a challenge and only the best reach the top and no better than Steve Waugh who relished battling in difficult situations. He is a hero not only on the cricket field but off it as well.

A lot of people have praised Sachin Tendulkar to the sky, but the bottom line is that Sachin is never a Waugh. Although, a better batsman on paper, Sachin has never been a "consistent match finisher". He has seriously choked when most needed by his team. Waugh on the other hand was a fighter and always, I mean always, played to win. Learn Sachin bhai, learn from the Master Waugh.

I am not a Bengali. I donot hate Greg Chappel. Some naive "reporter" who expects a batsman to score a century everytime he gets to the ground, a bowler to get a hatrick everytime he bowls and Team India to win every match it plays, puts down his irrational words against the former Indian captain. Astonishingly, today people say "Ganguly who??" Stop being thankless. To describe Ganguly today I would say "An out-of-form batsman".
He is not a criminal. He is not a dud to have scored 15000 runs in cricket. Count the number of other cricekters who could do it. Your hands are enough. He didnot destroy anyone's career. He is just out of form for god's sake.

It is the duty of a coach to fix the problems in the players techniques. Instead of eliminating the problem, Greg Chappel chose to eliminate the player himself. He didnot even give it a try.
Why blame ganguly like fanatics?? Its just incomprehensible.

If he were so region biased, Yuvraj Singh, Mohd. Kaif, Sehwag, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Laxmipaty Balaji etc wouldnot even have seen light.

Crowd at Eden gardens were NOT demonstrating at exclusion of a bengali. They were angry at the exclusion of Saurav Ganguly. I donot remember them protesting when SS Das, Deepdas Gupta were dropped out. Why?? Ganguly is larger than these two people. he is larger than a lot of players. He has been among the top of the world for a decade. Now he is out of form.
EVen Sachin is out of form. Lara was out of form. Matt Hayden was out of form.

For the experience that he has, Ganguly just needs encouragement, proper coaching to get back that sword in his hand.

Stop being fanatic. Today's media is NOT as true and reliable as you think. FOllow the facts and practical realities.

Ganguly doesNOT deserve to be treated like a popper.

Steve is a Positive Cricketer. His brilliant knock in 1999 world cup on a famous Gibbs dropped catch assured aussies a No 1 spot.
Now-a-Days Test match are very interesting due to aussies winning attributions and scoring at a very faster rate . This is the great contribution given by Steve Waugh not only to Australia , also to the entire cricket world. He is the one who found much depth in aussies tail giving chance to warne and mcgrath to bat and succeed with partnerships. He failed only once on the occassion with Eng on 1998/99 by the brilliance of Headley who rapped the tail while waugh is watching on the other end.He got a great cricket mind and it's sad for not breaking Allan Border's record. Even after his retirement, still he got more life in cricket.

In response to Waugh's comments about Ganguly "constantly bickering over the nature of pitches and trying to influence the groundsmen in India. To me, this wasn't too different from match-fixing, because captains who try this on are attempting to alter the conditions in collusion with a force they shouldn't be tampering with", I can only say that Waugh must have a very low opinion of his readers' intelligence. Playing at home has always offered the benefits of the home crowd as well as favorable playing conditions. When an Indian team encounters a fast, bouncy track in Perth, it is understood that the groundsman is doing his part to help the Aussie's win. Whether the captain or another member of the cricket organization conveys the needs of the team to the groundsman is irrelevant and to equate that communication with match-fixing is preposterous. I am not much of a Ganguly supporter but Waugh's comments only confirm the widely held belief that the Aussies are great cricketers but very sore losers!

Dave, you say to me "Post your own opinions on the board but don't state that your opinion is that of the entire country."

To which I would reply, please make sure you read my post carefully before responding. I stated clearly that many people in Australia were ambivalent - this means they are not totally sure of their opinion of Waugh. I then said that "many" cricket fans in Australia consider him selfish - this is not suggesting the opinion of an entire country.

Furthermore, I used to particpate regularly on the ABC website cricket forum until it was closed down some 6 months ago. It was a very lively forum with participants from all around the cricketing world. The question of S. Waugh's selfishness as a cricketer was often discussed by many other Australian cricket fans.

I think SRW is a little overrated. True, he did play some great innings under physical pain, but his attitude leaves a lot to be desired. His more appropriate nickname would be CBS - Cry Baby Steve. Whenever he indulges in 'mental disintegration', thats just great strategy. But, if the opposing captain does it (albeit in a different way, everyone does not need to follow SRW's method), then he just cries and complains! Just ridiculous. I just wonder what his average is in domestic cricket, against McGrath, Gillespie and Warne??!!

In General, the Australian Cricketers have a natural tendency to look down upon the sub-continental cricketers. Previously, one of these (possibly this man whom we are all praising with our colonially-ingrained-slave-mentality) made several bad-comments about Sanat Jasuriya and other Sri Lankan Cricketers. However, at that time, Sanat gave a befitting reply to remind these snob Australian-Cricketers, that unlike them SLs were not descendents of British-Criminals sent to Australia. It is unfortunate that though we have great figures like Gavaskar, Imran, and many others, we select and beg these people to become our coach. A deep ingrained inferiority complex, and colonial-slave mentality gets reflected in various aspects [Often in the airports, officials / workers show their good manners only to the European /US foreigners (which is fine), but most often behave rudely with their native subcontinental people. We should not disrespect others, but should be respectful to all, irrespective of the origin. Any arrogant comments about our national figures should not be tolerated, and highlighted by these biased midea. The media should reflect balanced version showing the records of the other sides also, while reporting. Try to report with some facts and figures rather tahn higlighting these irresponsible comments. How the australians bahve while playing in their own grounds. How did they instruct the peach to be friendly to their side on their home ground ? Please make an analytical report, rather than reporting these comments, as if coming from God.

I've been a Tugga fan for almost as long as I've watched cricket, starting in the winter of 1985 , when he made his debut against us. For some reason he captured my imagination like no other cricketer. There is this almost insane pride I feel in the fact that I predicted greatness ofr him even before AB did. And having had the opportunity to read his autobiography, I can honestly say this is the best book by a cricketer that I have ever read, and I have read a few. He is frightfully candid about so many things in his professional and personal lie and yet, never loses his sense of humor in the book. As for those who think he's overrated or selfish or a cry baby, they can very well go get stuffed. Haven't seen a sillier argument for his being considered selfish than that he took singles of the first ball of the over while batting with the tail. You only have to look at the efficacy of his actions and the innumerable runs he scored with the tail to throw that argument out of the window. He was definitely not the best tactician as a captain, but as a strategist he was second to none. And he led from the front, and had the respect of his men. To my mind, that counts a lot more for a captain to be considered great than the so-called brainwaves and tactics. 'Cerebral' captains like Brearley are overrated;it will always be the Ian Chappels and Imran Khans alongside the Waughs who will be spoken of as the greatest captains

DC Das,

Forget bashing nationalities and look at the facts - What have Subcontinent cricketers accomplished away from home? With India's Batting, they should be the Number 1 team in the world but they are hopeless away from home and I am extremely interested in anyone opinion on this.

My own personal opinion are that they are soft in their approach to winning. Far too much attention is placed on the aggresive nature of Australia appealling and the sledging tactics but they are part of a strategy to win and win at all costs, which is an approach I would like to see the subcontinent replicate. Like the grest West Indian teams of the 80's, winning was paramount and they won on all surfaces and they did it with aggressive intent - They did not care about making friends, just winning and this should be adopted by all nations serious about being No 1 in the world.

In regards to your ideas on Subcontinent legends chosen as coaches before other nationalities, hasn't this been tried before? Miandad, Sunil etc etc. New ideas, new approaches appear to work - For instance, take the ex Aussie Troy Cooley who is now England's bowling coach and doing an awesome job - In the Eighties, Barry Richards was used as a Coach for Queensland

Finally, winning away from home is the only way you get respect in International Cricket, so until the subcontinent dominates away from home, then the natural tendency is not to accord them the respect they believe they should receive until they start winning. It's that simple!

Ps I am of Indian descent and I really hope Greg Chappell can succeed, becuase world cricket needs dominant subcontinent teams.

Dont know much about the till now, but after this article, which brings out a new thought of life after any profession.
Feel like reading the book

Everyone knows that Steve Waugh is a great player and a brilliant captain.
But under his leadership only ,australian players used sledging as a weapon to bring the batsman's downfall.
Steve describes it as 'mental disintegration' which tarnished Australia's image as a nation of good sports.
Then how can he claim that english county bowlers are practising reverse swing using mints.

Dear Paul,

Thanks for your comments. I am not a great fan of any professional game, where money & politics play a major role, rather than a healthy respectful competitive sporting spirit, where win-loss is a part of any healthy sport. Personally, many naive spectators like us feel that many matches throughout the year in a developing country like ours involve wastage of money, time , and energy(most of the office-workers hardly work during the days when any matche takes place, add all these days plus 5 days of test matches throughout the year; almost equivalent to work loss due to strikes called by the political parties). Cricket is a legacy of colonials and mostly prevalent in former British Colonies. As long as these matches are kept at the sporting level, these are fine. However, it has turned out to be a game of money, politics etc. (Before this match-fix-up scandals got caught, no one knows how much money these players made cheating common people all over these countries, only a handful of them were caught, no one knows about the big ones with poltical connections). Also the criket-palyers (like the polticians) make huge amount of money at the cost of national expense in these countries (sometimes they do some charities, of insignificant small portion of their income). While most of these developing coutries are troubled by poverty, inequality, and other wasteful social problems, it is mind-boggling to many of us (please forgive our naive comments) to see this madness. Recently one of the developing country wanted to make a Cricket-Stadium using International Loan, meant for develoment activities like poverty-alleviation. Thanks to the International Agency, for not granting such loan. Anyhow, it seems to me Cricket is not upto my understanding specially at the present level, except reading some headlines, and comments now and then, I would better stop. After all, in this world each has positive and negative aspect, each is great in its own proper place.

To ks and anyone wondering about Australian pitches.

Perth is hot and dry and always like concrete, no fixing.
Sydney is always a spinners paradise, no fixing.
Adelaide is a batting paradise for 3 days then a spinners wicket, no fixing.
Melbourne and Brisbane seam and swing a bit then spin later, no fixing.

At least you get to play on different tracks in the different states of Australia. The pitches aren't fixed they are based on local conditions and captains can't ask for the grass to be shaved or left on, they'd be laughed at by the grounds keeper and the public.

To John F Kennedy and Dave I must confess that I am really glad I am not on their side.
Their comments prove that they do not understand the game of cricket.
With their thoughts, we as a Nation wouldn't win many games of sport including Marbles.
Waugh's results as Captain are magnificient and to be the third highest run getter in Test Cricket is proof of what a great batsman he was.
He also brought out much talent in the tailenders. something Ian Chappell could not.
All I say is give credit where it is due.

Every creative profession has a sell-by date. Cricket, like advertising, is no different. Cheers.

A very valid point on the longevity of cricketers and journalists. In today's past-paced world, where burn-outs happen much quicker than before, I think it actually applies to most professions.

WTF did this post have to do with Ganguly? Do all of you Ganguly lovers /bashers troll the Net looking for places to jump up and down without any reference to context?
Nice post Jai - super-annuation also happens to currency traders and fighter pilots and often, child moviestars as well.

Steve Waugh was a fine cricketer and captain. He played tough cricket as well. Didn't like losing as anybody who is competitive won't. But he did get outsmarted by Saurav in the mental disintegration game all right - and that rankles. Hence this ridiculous claim that Saurav's attempts to get the pitch that he wants is the same as match fixing. (Considering that Mark Waugh actually dallied with the bookies, such statements belong in the dust bin) It's a pity no one has come forward and rubbished it - one would expect the Indian board to come forward and do so but that perhaps is wishful thinking. Creating the controversy though might be just what he wants - will sell more books, more moolah - isn't that what really matters?

These guys are good cricketers but have a long way to go before they become mature adults - some people like Chappell - underhand bowling, middle finger et al - of course never grow up.

Steve has always been an excellent cricketer,captain and human being.I simply love him!All the talk about him being `selfish` is crap.I have noticed that there are many people who are jealous of his achivements rather than being appreciative of his outstanding cricket.
To say in short~
STEVE WAUGH IS THE BEST! :)