BRISBANE, Dec 31 AAP - National selection chairman Trevor Hohns says under-pressure skipper Steve Waugh will be judged purely on form after his record-equalling 156th cricket Test this week.

Hohns today appeared to suggest Waugh had the support of Australian cricket selectors beyond the Sydney Test.

"Stephen has our support through and past the Sydney Test," Hohns told reporters in Brisbane.

But he later confirmed "nothing's changed" and reiterated the selectors' stance that Waugh risks being axed if he chooses to continue his career past the fifth Ashes Test starting in Sydney on January 2.

Speaking after Waugh's awful-looking innings of 14 in the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne, Hohns told AAP Waugh would be judged on his run-making rather than his captaincy once the fifth Test is over.

"At that point it's his decision to make and if he wants to play on he will be judged on form like the other players," Hohns said through a media spokesman.

Waugh said he had been suffering from a migraine and feeling dizzy when he walked out to bat in his second innings but Hohns said that meant nothing to the selectors.

"I'm not sure that I knew he had a migraine," Hohns told reporters at a Brisbane press conference.

"Everyone is entitled to fail from time to time, there is no doubt about that, but we don't look at migraines too much."

Hohns suggested Waugh was feeling some pressure as he fights to keep his 17-year Test career alive.

"With all the things that have been going on in the last two or three weeks, there's a little bit of pressure on Stephen," Hohns said.

"But the decision whether he plays on or not is entirely up to him, so maybe that's weighing on his mind as well.

"But for now, as I've previously said, Stephen has our support until the Sydney Test.

"Once the Test match is over we have to pick a team in two or three months' time to go to the West Indies, so there is plenty of time for Stephen to make up his mind as to what he'd like to do in the future."

The 37-year-old Waugh became Australia's most successful captain with yesterday's win over England.

He also made a dashing 77 in Australia's first innings of the fourth Test and is only five Tests removed from his last Test century.

He needs another 69 runs in Sydney to bring up 10,000 Test runs and it will take that and more to help him secure a passage to the Caribbean.

The Sydney Test will also mark his 156th Test, equalling Allan Border's world record for Test appearances.

© 2002 AAP NewsWire

This report does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Cricket Board.