Factfile on Australia captain Steve Waugh, who announced on Wednesday he will retire from international cricket after the final Test against India in January.

Born: June 2, 1965, Sydney. Right-hand bat, occasional right-arm medium-pace bowler.

Test debut: vs India, Melbourne, December 1985. Holds record for most Test match appearances with 164.

Also Read Waugh, great and gritty

Has scored 10,660 runs with an average of 51.25. Taken 91 wickets at 36.95. He is the second highest run-scorer of all-time behind Australia's Allan Border (11,174).

Has scored 32 Test centuries, behind only India's Sunil Gavaskar (34).

Waugh is one of the most powerful and respected figures in the game, having led Australia to a world-record streak of 16 consecutive Test wins and guided Australia to World Cup victory in 1999.

He made his Test debut in December 1985, aged 20, and has been captain since 1999.

He is the most successful Test captain in history with 40 victories from 53 Tests and a success rate of 75.47 per cent.

He is also only the second player to score Test centuries against all nine Test-playing opponents. South Africa's Gary Kirsten is the other.

Waugh has featured in many high-scoring partnerships including an unbroken 464 with his brother Mark for New South Wales in Perth in 1990-91 and another of 385 with Greg Blewett against South Africa in 1996-97.

Waugh also played 325 limited-overs internationals for Australia but lost his place in the team in February 2002. He was a member of the Australia team that won the World Cup in 1987 and skippered the team to victory in 1999.

Under pressure to retain his place in the Test side after a moderate run of form last year, Waugh silenced his critics with a brilliant century in the last Ashes Test against England in January.