SYDNEY, March 29: Steve Waugh will lead Australia on a four-Test tour of the West Indies starting next week but said he was unsure if he would continue playing even at state level next year.

Waugh, who was unable to win a place in Australia’s successful World Cup squad captained by Ricky Ponting, led New South Wales to the Australian interstate championship and one-day title double in 2002-03.

The 37-year-old won the inaugural Steve Waugh Medal overnight for the New South Wales player of the season.

“It’s a huge shock. It’s nice to win a trophy and have your name already on the trophy,” the state captain told reporters.

“Next season is a very long way off. I’m not sure whether I’m going to be there or not.

“If I’m there, I’ll look forward to the challenge again.”

Waugh equalled his former captain Allan Border’s world record of 156 Test appearances when he led Australia in the fifth Ashes Test against England in January.

Waugh made a century in the match at Sydney Cricket Ground, equalling Don Bradman’s national record of 29 hundreds and joining Border and India’s Sunil Gavaskar as the only players to score 10,000 Test runs as Australia won the series 4-1.

However, he spent two months deciding if he would make himself available for the West Indies tour and only gave selectors his decision two days before the squad was announced.

Waugh scored 659 first-class runs in seven matches for New South Wales at 50.69, hitting three centuries including a double hundred against Victoria at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The skipper also won his state’s one-day award after scoring 343 runs at 49.0 in seven games.

Simon Katich won the New South Wales award for best player in the four-day championship ahead of former Test opener Michael Slater with Waugh third.

Waugh said it had been difficult to adjust to a long stretch of interstate rather than international cricket.

“It did take a while to fit back in but once we got to know each other, it was really an exciting time,” Waugh said.

“It almost took me back to when I first played for New South Wales, aged 19.”—Reuters