Mark Taylor is Australian Cricket royalty and Australian of the Year 1999.

Mark was the opening batsman for Australia between 1988 to 1999 and Captain between 1994 to 1999 succeeding Allan Border. Mark was widely regarded as an instrumental component in Australia’s rise to Test cricket dominance and his Captaincy was regarded as adventurous and highly effective. 

During his regime, the record books were constantly updated. Voted Australia’s most admired sportsperson by Inside Sport magazine in February 1999, Mark left the game with several proud personal milestones that will stand the test of time. Among them was his record-equalling 334 not out in the second Test against Pakistan at Peshawar in October 1998. His history-making, 12-hour innings, compiled from 564 balls and laced with 32 fours and one six, enabled him to share the mantle as Australia’s highest run scorer in Test cricket with the world’s greatest-ever batsman, Sir Donald Bradman, who scored his 334 against England at Leeds in 1930. The fact Mark decided to declare Australia’s innings closed with his score unconquered on 334, thus forfeiting the chance to edge his way past Sir Donald, and perhaps even challenge West Indian Brian Lara’s world record score of 375, earned him widespread commendation from the cricket world. He backed up his magnificent performance in the first innings of the Peshawar Test with an accomplished 92 in Australia’s second innings. Giving him a match tally of 426 runs, the highest ever by an Australian in Test cricket and only 30 runs behind the world record held by Englishman Graham Gooch.

When Mark announced his retirement from international cricket with 7,525 runs from 104 Tests at an average of 43.50, he trailed only Allan Border (11,174 from 156 Tests) on Australia’s Test honour roll.

In 2003, Mark was mad an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2003 for his services to cricket and charity and the Centenary Medal for his services to cricket and the community in 2001. Mark was also awarded an Australian Sports Medal in 2000, inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2002 and inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2011.

These days, Mark serves as a board member of Cricket Australia and is a high profile TV commentator. To mark his playing days with Northern Districts in Sydney, Mark in 2011 had the honour of having the club’s home ground, Waitara Oval, renamed the Mark Taylor Oval. Away from cricket, Mark Taylor’s other sporting love is recreational fishing. In 2012, he was appointed an ambassador of Keep Australia Fishing.