By Scott Heinrich BBC Sport Online

The revelation in a new biography that Australian batsman Mark Waugh almost quit the game when under investigation for alleged match-fixing may come as a shock to some.

But perhaps it should not.

If there is any cricketer in the world game who could be accused of living his life the way he plays the game, Waugh is the one.

In his pomp, Waugh is, at the same time, laid-back, elegant and powerful and sometimes it seems there is not a bowler alive who could stem the flow of runs.

Waugh: 'I almost quit'

But all too often, a Waugh innings is cut short when the mental application wavers.

The man they call 'Junior' has always given the impression the easy option is the preferable one, and his career bears this out.

Waugh often falls to a shot unbecoming of his ability

It is fitting that Waugh told of his growing disenchantment with the game in the same week his twin brother Steve revealed his resolve to fight his way back into the one-day side.

Mark, too, found himself overlooked as the latest one-day squad was announced.

But instead of pledging to fight for his World Cup place, all we heard on Mark's behalf was a statement from his manager saying non-selection was expected.

Steve is the older by a matter of minutes, and Mark has always cut the figure of the precocious kid brother, possessing all the talent in the world.

Whereas Steve has drained the pool of his talent to be the best player he could be, Mark's well has never been an arid one - from the day he announced his arrival with a ton on debut in 1991.

At 37, both Waughs have only limited time left at the top level, but the comparative depth of their mental resolve tells a familiar story.

The heroic innings against all odds will typify Steve - witness, among others, his century against England at The Oval last year made effectively on one leg following a calf injury.

But, save for the odd blinder like the match-winning century he hit against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 1997, Mark's great innings have invariably ended with the impression that more was to come.

The big knock

It is perhaps reflective of a cest-la-vie attitude that Mark has often proved incapable of playing the innings that keeps on giving when it seems there is little left to give.

Mark's record of 20 Test centuries is one of which he can be justifiably proud, but the fact he has passed 150 just once is an indication of a lack of tenacity.

While brother Steve sets the counter back to zero when he passes three figures, Mark's habit is to switch off and fall to a shot smacking of complacency.

Mark has more talent than even a Test average of 42 suggests, but that in itself is a back-handed compliment for which the less-gifted Steve would never settle.

Cricket has never been an all-consuming part of Mark's life, and his love of a flutter on the horses or an evening at the casino are well known.

So when the going got tough, with International Cricket Council investigators seeking answers, Waugh's default reaction was to call it quits and get out of the limelight.

Ultimately, however, he was not ready to turn his back on international cricket

In the twilight of his career, Waugh was not ready to let his God-given talents fade away.

With the World Cup less than a year away, the Australian cricketing public hopes 'Junior' can now raise his game for one last hurrah.