Melbourne, Feb. 3 : Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has urged Cricket Australia not to be desperate to include all rounder Andrew Symonds in the squad for the tour to South Africa.

Waugh, who will be the 30th cricketer to be inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Melbourne tonight, was quoted by Fox Sports as saying: "I personally don''t think he''s ready. He hasn''t really proved that his form justifies a place in the side right now."

"We all know he''s a fantastic player and he''s done fantastic things for Australia. But he''s got to be at his best and he''s got to be clear in his head and clear in his thinking. Right now indications are he is not in the place he would like to be or the place that Ricky (Ponting) would like him to be," he added.

On Tuesday he said it would be a huge gamble to pick him.

Speaking about the rare honor being conferred on him, Waugh said such honors brought home to him just how long he had been out of the game.

"You start feeling a bit old when you get these awards. It''s nice to get them when you are young and alive, you get to appreciate it. But the thing that surprised me most is that I have qualified for the award by being out of the game for five years, that has gone by very fast," he said. (ANI)