Mark Waugh almost quit cricket

Mark Waugh almost quit cricket during the Indian bookmaker affair and was disappointed at what he called a lack of support from the Australian Cricket Board, the batsman said on Friday.

In extracts from Waugh's new book 'Mark Waugh: The Biography' published in Australia's Herald Sun newspaper, the veteran said he had not enjoyed the game in the past four years.

The ACB admitted in 1998 that it had secretly fined Shane Warne and Mark Waugh in 1995 for accepting money from an illegal bookmaker during the 1994 Sri Lanka tour.

"There has always been something nagging there. I've felt the media has always been nagging away, keeping a close eye on me and my form," Waugh said.

"I don't think I hate anything more in my career than dealing with the media."

Waugh's emotional stress peaked in January last year when an International Cricket Council corruption team arrived in Melbourne to interview him about claims from Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta that Waugh was on his payroll, the newspaper said.

Waugh initially declined to be interviewed but eventually agreed when the exact nature of allegations were submitted to his lawyers by the ACB.

Waugh claims that suggestions he was linked with Gupta were false.

"There were times during that period when I thought, 'Is it all worth it? I might as well just retire now, give it all away and get out of the limelight'," Waugh said.

"It was the closest I had come. I definitely thought about it. I thought of going and playing county cricket or just retiring from the game altogether.

"There's only so much you can take. I started to get headaches. I felt sick all the time and lost weight."

Waugh said he was upset the ACB distanced itself from him in that period.

"The cricket board had their own agenda. They wanted to come out as transparent and as clean as possible," he said.

"To be honest, I don't think they worried too much about me, they were looking after their own image.

"I had my people looking after me because I knew the ACB wouldn't look after me.

"But to some extent I can understand the ACB protecting the interests of the game instead of the individual," he added.

"AUSSIE" HUSSAIN

Waugh also described his former Essex colleague Nasser Hussain as a "cocky young kid" who had matured into a fine England captain with "a bit of an Aussie attitude ... who is good for England".

"I suppose Nasser had that reputation of being a spoilt brat," Waugh said.

"He knew he was good and he didn't care who got in his way. He'd rub people up the wrong way because he was so ambitious and also probably lacked respect for senior players.

"He was a cocky young kid, but I always thought he might go places because he was different from the other guys.

"He had a bit of a temper. You had to handle him the right way. He was probably self-centred, he didn't much worry about anyone else -- as long as he got what he wanted that was all that seemed to matter.

"We had our disagreements, but you could never question his hunger."

Waugh also said England fast bowler Darren Gough tended to let his poor body language cause team morale to drop.

"People say he's got a big heart, but I think sometimes he gets down mentally and that affects his team mates," Waugh said.

Mail Cricket Editor