Thomson and Hookes call for Waugh to retire

Jeff Thomson and David Hookes, the former Australian Test stars, have said that Steve Waugh should retire to allow Australia to build for the future.

"It's time to move on and it's a good time to do it when the opposition isn't that good," Thomson was quoted as saying in the Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph newspapers. Top-ranked Australia host bottom-ranked Bangladesh in a two-Test series in Darwin and Cairns next month.

"What's he going to prove if he plays Bangladesh?" asked Thomson. "Who cares if Steve Waugh gets a hundred? If Michael Clarke gets 100, I am sure everybody would be happy to see that or somebody else."

Hookes, now a television commentator with Thomson, said that Ricky Ponting should be given the captaincy of the Test side. "I can't see any point [in] Steve Waugh playing Bangladesh," said Hookes. "He won't get a hit for starters."

Hookes, who been a critic of Waugh for years, said that the 38-year-old Waugh's presence in the middle order, alongside the 31-year-old Damien Martyn and the 33-year-old Darren Lehmann, would give it an ageing look.