Stephen Rodger Waugh, former captain of Australian cricket team, may have put off his pads for a while but the legendary batsmen will always be regarded as a talent the world will never come across.

Steve Waugh or Tugga was admired by the name “Iceman” because of this unique ability to stay calm and composed in high-intensity matches throughout his career. Born on 2nd June 1965, Steve Waugh was a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium bowler. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on 4th January 2010 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Steve made his test debut on 26th December 1985 v India and one-day international debut on 9th January 1986 v New Zealand. He played 168 test matches to score 10,927 runs and took 92 wickets and 325 ODIs to score 7,569 runs and took 195 wickets. A reliable fielder on any position on the cricket pitch, Steve Waugh claimed 112 and 111 catches in test and one day cricket, respectively. He went on to win acclaims from critics worldwide after his patient knock of 200 runs against the West Indies in 1995 when Australia regained the Frank Worrell Trophy. Steven Waugh was at his peak when the Australian team won the 1999 World Cup in England and helped the team became one of the most dreaded cricket teams in the world by leading the country to 16 consecutive Test match wins.

Steve Waugh, the living legend, may have said goodbye to the cricketing world but is still making invaluable contributions by helping in raising funds for a leper children’s colony, “Udayan” in Kolkata.

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Mohammad Azizuddin Azharuddin, popularly known as Azhar or Azza, may have left the cricket field some ten years ago but his followers still remember him for his wristy strokes and agile fielding. Boasting of a graceful and fluid batting style, Mohammad Azharuddin went on to capture many hearts and even acclamations from critics of the game for his calm nature, leadership style, humble approach, and impeccable habit of scoring runs at almost will.

Azhar, born on 8th February 1963 in Hyderabad, still holds the distinction of scoring a century apiece in each of his first three tests - a record that still holds intact. He went on to score a total of 22 centuries in test cricket and 7 in one day internationals (ODIs) and took 156 catches in the limited over version (ODI). The lush green Eden Gardens in Kolkata was the happy hunting ground for this classic cricket player.

Mohammad Azharuddin made his test debut on 31st December 1984 v England and ODI debut on 20th January 1985 v England. He also holds a unique record of scoring centuries in his first and last Test. Towards the end of his illustrious career, Azhar was accused of match fixing by Hansie Cronje of South Africa and was banned from the game of cricket for life in 2000. And with this scandal, the game of cricket, especially Indian cricket, lost one of its most talented sons to greed. However, one can still find respite in the fact that every wristy player of today’s times is still compared to this legendary and one of the most successful Indian captains.

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