Melbourne, Mar. 9 : Former Australian captain Bill Lawry believes current opener Phillip Hughes should have been picked earlier than he was, claiming he was held back because of a selection process that required overhauling.

"The success of Hughes is a wake-up call to our selection panel that you don''t need to be 30 before you play for Australia,'''' Lawry, a left-hand opener himself, was quoted by the Herald Sun, as saying today

"Mark Taylor told me 12 months ago that Hughes was something special and really he should have at least been picked when South Africa were here in the summer. He has come into the team in peak form and like most kids has no fear of failure. Who knows what he will end up achieving?''''

Lawry scored 5234 runs at 47.14 in 67 Tests between 1961-71. (ANI)