It doesn't get better than this - Waugh

Steve Waugh admitted it would be almost impossible to improve on his day at Sydney, after completing his 29th Test century off the last ball of the day. to equal the late Sir Donald Bradman's record.

The innings, which seled Australia's recovery in the final Ashes Test against England, was greeted with a standing ovation from both the sell-out SCG crowd and the England players.

On his home ground, Waugh also became the third man in history, after Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border, to pass 10,000 Test runs.

"I don't think it gets any better than that," Waugh admitted. "To get a hundred off the last ball in front of your home crowd and playing the way I did today was fantastic.

"For me it felt very much like my first Test hundred at Headingley in 1989, the way I saw the ball and hit everything into the gaps. I just wish I had more days like that than the bad days, it was almost the perfect day.

"The shot had to be played off the last ball, I wasn't really sure where it was going to be. The adrenalin was almost overwhelming and overpowering, but I felt that I had to get the hundred tonight.

"I think it would have been a disappointment for the crowd and myself if I hadn't and I might not have slept very well tonight. I just went along with the flow of the last couple of overs, I felt it was my day and it was meant to happen."

Waugh, who knows that his place is not guaranteed after the end of this series, is considering extending his career after playing so well today.

"I've certainly enjoyed the way I've been playing in the last three or four innings. I feel as if I'm playing now the way I played when I was 19 years old, going out and having fun and just playing shots and it's certainly a temptation to go on and have a bit of time playing like that.

"You just have to assess things after the game and I'm not sure what's going to happen. I've always said I want to carry on playing the game as long as I think I can improve and you've always got to aim for that perfect innings - it may never happen but it's something I've always worked for and today was pretty close to as good as I can play."

Waugh insisted that he will have no trouble resuming his innings tomorrow despite this evening's emotion.

"You come back down to earth by looking at the match situation and we're 50-50 at best at the moment. England still have their noses in front. It's going to be a very difficult wicket to bat on last, it's starting to break up now, and it will be hard to score 150 to win the game.

"We've got to get up towards England's first-innings total and try and get a lead and if we don't we'll have to bowl England out pretty cheaply to win the match."

England's Alec Stewart, who is two years Waugh's senior, was amongst the first to pay tribute after passing a milestone of his own earlier in the day, moving above Geoff Boycott as the third-highest England run-scorer after reaching 37 during his innings of 71. Only Graham Gooch and David Gower lie ahead of him.

"I thought it was fantastic," Stewart enthused. "People have been writing the fellow off, but today he showed what he's been showing for 15 years. The bloke's a cricketing legend in my opinion, and that today was the icing on the cake.

"He's a quality player, a quality person, and to do it on his home ground was perfect for him. He's a fantastic cricketer. When you get to a certain age people want to write you off, but he'll go on his own terms.

"The Australian selectors will be picking a squad for the West Indies, and if they pick their best side he'll go there as captain."

Stewart, 39, also indicated that he has no immediate plans to retire after his sparkling knock.

"People have written me off," Stewart added. "But you have personal pride and you go out there and do your best. That's why we play and hopefully why I can keep playing."

"When you play as long as you have you are going to go past certain people. But when you're in the company of your Gooches and Gowers and Boycotts then it means you must be a pretty good player."