Waugh clan hanging tough

Australian captain Steve Waugh said yesterday he was upset that his twin brother Mark had been implicated in cricket's match-fixing scandal. Steve told reporters at the team's training camp in Queensland that the accusations against Mark had affected the whole team.

'You can't just pretend it is not happening. We certainly talked about it,' Steve said.

'I feel very sorry for him at the moment. It's hard for myself and the family when you pick up a lot of headlines. It's not easy.'

'He denies the claims and has promised to clear his name.'

The gifted batsman was fined in 1995 after admitting he took money from another Indian bookmaker for information about pitch and weather conditions.

'It's a difficult time but he'll have a lot of support and he'll come through this,' Steve said.

'It might come to a stage when it all gets a bit too much.

'I don't think it's reached that stage yet because he's still playing well, but if it continues it is obviously not going to be easy.'

Former captain Allan Border also came out in support of Mark Waugh.

'I'm waiting to actually see the report and Mark's alleged involvement. We did have a very in-depth inquiry in Australia and as far as I'm concerned the players admitted some involvement and that's as far as it was taken,' Border said.

'We're confident that there was involvement as far as giving weather tips and pitch reports and things like that, and nothing further than that.'