Century at Perth only part of the incentive for Steve Waugh

If Steve Waugh scores a century in the third Test against England he can join the elite company of David Boon, Mark Taylor, Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

The group consists of those players who have scored a Test century on every ground in Australia.

Ponting only became a member recently when he made 123 in the first innings of the first Test at the Gabba.

You could even argue that Sunil Gavaskar belongs to the club. He never scored a hundred at Bellerive Oval but then again, he never played a Test there. Gavaskar scored centuries on all the mainland grounds in Australia.

Waugh has come close before. Very close.

Ninety-one against the West Indies in 1988 which would have been his first Test century.

He was on 96 against New Zealand in 1997 until Shayne O'Connor bowled him.

And the infamous 99 not out against England in 1995.

The injured Craig McDermott was batting last and with the aid of a runner who happened to be Mark Waugh. Confusion at the crease saw Steve Waugh became the second player stranded on 99 at the WACA. The first being Geoffrey Boycott in 1979

All this talk of Steve Waugh and hundreds is ironic given how much pressure he was under to score his first. Forty-one innings came and went before his first one.

Since then, the hundreds haven't stopped. He has one against every Test country Australia has played against. He has one batting at Nos 3,5,6 and 7. He has had at least one every year since 1993.

His 28 hundreds are the second most for Australia, one behind Sir Donald Bradman's 29. His total is the fourth highest in history behind Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar and Gavaskar.

If Waugh could snag a hundred in the fourth innings of the game in Perth, it would be his first three-figure score in the fourth innings of a match. He only averages 24 in the fourth innings with his only half century, the 67 he managed against New Zealand at the WACA last year.

Waugh won't be too worried one way or another about making a century at the WACA to complete the set.

He has plenty of other milestones coming his way to worry about. *213 runs to bring up 10,000 Test runs *52 runs for 3000 Test runs against England *Two more Test wins for most wins by an Australian captain *Four more Tests for the most appearances.

But the only statistic Waugh will worry about is three more wins for the 5-0 drubbing of England.