Ricky Ponting is surprised former England captain Michael Vaughan has retired but has no thoughts about when he will bow out of the game.
Despite being less than four months short of his 35th birthday, Ponting has not placed a timeframe on when he will exit international cricket.
He said he was 'loving and enjoying the game as much as ever', particularly the challenge of leading a new generation of Australian cricketers, and has not thought at all about retiring.
Ponting said it would become very clear to him when it was time for him to pull stumps on his career.
"If ever there comes a day when I come to a game or a training day and feel like I can't improve myself or make myself better that's when I'll have to start thinking about when the end might be," he said.
"I've never even considered what might be an end date because right at the moment I'm enjoying the game more than ever and want to just keep contributing and be the best player I can be for the team."
But Ponting conceded this could be his last Ashes series in England, as he will be 38 for the next battle on English soil.
Should he play in the 2013 series, he will become the oldest Australian player to feature in a Test against England since former captain Allan Border, who was 38 years and 27 days old when he completed the 1993 series.
"I might need a wheelchair by then," Ponting quipped.
Just two months ago, Ponting was anticipating the ECB-contracted Vaughan, his conqueror from 2005 England's most successful Test captain, to be part of England's XI in Cardiff.
But the strong form of his replacement Ravi Bopara and Vaughan's lean trot with the bat for county side Yorkshire saw the former England captain announce his retirement on Tuesday at Edgbaston.
"I must admit I'm a bit surprised by his retirement," Ponting said.
"It was only a couple of months I was actually thinking that he might have been named in that first Test squad for England before Bopara come and grabbed his opportunity with both hands."
Ponting's reaction is at odds with how Vaughan's decision has been received in England.
Nearly to a man, all believed Vaughan, whose poor form had also jeopardised his position in the Yorkshire side, had made the right decision in retiring rather than chasing past glories.
Former England captain Mike Atherton, now a cricket writer for _The Times_ newspaper in London, said it was an 'ill-fitting end ... but only because for the most part he wore the garments so well', particularly in 2002-03 and as captain in 2004-05.
"Only Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar in the recent past have pummeled Australia's bowlers into submission as Vaughan did on that 2002-03 tour, when he scored three centuries and 633 runs," Atherton wrote.
"His batting was tinged with greatness, pulling Glenn McGrath off his length and driving the rest with rare purity."
"The worried technician of his youth had been replaced with a more carefree maturity, which is not often the case."
Ponting described Vaughan, who made 18 centuries and averaged 41.44 from 62 Tests, as an 'exceptionally skilled and talented player' and a 'well respected' opponent.
"His record would stack up against most top-order batsmen who have played international cricket," Ponting said.
"He was a distinguished captain England as well and led the side very well whenever he had the opportunity."
"I'm a little bit surprised by it but from me and all the other Australians, good luck to him with whatever he decides to after cricket. He'll probably find himself in the commentary box for the first Test."
