Mark Taylor AO (b. 1964) was captain of the Australian cricket team from 1994 until his retirement from Test cricket in 1999. Taylor lived in Wagga Wagga, NSW, before his family moved to Sydney and he joined the Northern District club. He made his Test debut against the West Indies in 1989, and in the same year scored a spectacular 839 runs over the course of the Ashes series in England. His greatest feat with the bat was equalling Sir Donald Bradman's highest Test score of 334, achieved in Pakistan in October 1998 before he declared the innings closed. He retired as our second-highest run scorer, having captained Australia in 50 Tests and having been named by Wisden's as the greatest modern captain. Taylor was Australian of the Year for 1999.
Australian of the Year 1999
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned with funds provided by L Gordon Darling AC CMG 1999
© Estate of Bill Leak
Accession number: 1999.17
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On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves: who we read, who we watch, who we listen to, who we cheer for, who we aspire to be, and who we'll never forget. The Companion is available to buy online and in the Portrait Gallery Store.
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Magda Keaney talks with Bill Leak about his bold new portrait of Robert Hughes in the National Portrait Gallery collection.
The Australian of the Year Awards have often provoked controversy about who is selected and whether their achievements are remarkable.
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