What more can you do? You've just got to get out there and play

Mark Waugh

Mark endured a terrible VB Series

But he responded with an Australian record of 173 in the second one-day final against West Indies, and enjoyed a successful Ashes tour in spite of the critics.

Mark is Australia's highest run scorer in one-day cricket with 8,500 in 244 matches, including 18 centuries - a figure double that of any other Australian batsman.

The name Waugh appears in four Australian one-day partnership records, although none involve both brothers.

Their biggest Test stand together came at Kingston in 1995 when they put on 231 runs for the fourth-wicket to clinch Australia's first win in the West Indies in 22 years.

Since then they have shared nine century partnerships, including one of 197 in the fifth Test against England last year.

And their fifth wicket stand for New South Wales against Western Australia in 1990/91 is a first class record, the pair putting on an unbeaten 464 at the WACA ground.

Cameo role

As a 22-year-old Steve was part of the side that secured Australia's first World Cup, in India in 1987.

And he kept one hand firmly on the trophy as it was held aloft at Lord's three years ago.

Steve was no longer one of the top 11 players

Few innings are more influential than the unbeaten 120 he scored at Headingley (after Herschelle Gibbs' infamous catch) to turn around his side's poor tournament in the tournament up to that point.

But his match-turning innings were becoming fewer and further apart, and he has increasingly become a cameo lower-order man, despite averaging 31.6 during the recent VB triangular series.

Whereas Mark was dropped on form - having managed just 126 runs in seven games - it was simply the possibility that Steve may not be amongst the 11 best players that saw him stripped of the captaincy.

Australia's failure to reach the tournament finals caused widespread calls for blood-letting, and these two were obvious candidates for the axe.

Typically, neither of the brothers has conceded that the end is near, or even that the coloured clothing will not appear in their kit bags again.

"What more can you do? You've just got to get out there and play," said Mark on Monday.

"There's a Test match this week so that's the most important thing and I've got to concentrate on that."

Steve responded to his sacking with resiliance

Steve's reaction was even grittier: "I'll definitely remain available for Australia for one-day cricket. I'd love to be part of that World Cup campaign in 2003."

"I've never shied away from a challenge; I'm a pretty determined sort of a person and I'll do everything in my power to get back in that one-day side."

Test opponents could suffer in the short-term but Australia's selectors rarely go back on their boldest decisions.

It is simply a matter of time before the curtain falls on two of the finest international careers.