Steve Waugh has accused Australia's chief selector George Bailey of rarely having the appetite to make tough calls, adamant the transition of the Test team depends on it.
One of the most reserved figures from Australia's golden era, Waugh used a rare media appearance on Wednesday to question the handling of Australia's ageing side.
Bailey then insisted he and his panel were willing to make tough calls, and asked what they were meant to do while older players were still performing.
Australia's 15-man squad for the first Ashes Test includes just one player aged under 30, with the regeneration of the team a hot topic in recent years.
David Warner is the only player to have retired in recent years, with fellow opener Usman Khawaja to turn 39 next month.
Quicks Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood will also all be 35 or older by the end of the summer, while Nathan Lyon turns 38 this month.
One of Australia's greatest ever captains, Waugh was on hand at the SCG on Tuesday to receive the MCC Waterford Crystal Ashes Trophy.
Waugh retired at age 38 in 2004 before the last big transition of the Test team, with Ian Healy and Mark Waugh having been dropped in previous years.
Asked how he felt the current transition of the Test side looked, Waugh said selectors needed to intervene to manage the process.
"George Bailey's going to have to make some tough calls," Waugh said. "I think in the past he's shown he hasn't really had the appetite for that at times, so he's going to have to step up to the plate with the other selectors.
"The bowlers are in their 30s and some of the batsmen are getting on as well. That's natural for every team. You just want to make sure that three or four players don't go out at the same time. That leaves a big hole in the team. So they've got to just make sure that it is a transition, but not all at once."
Asked if that meant tapping players on the shoulder to suggest they retire, Waugh said the matter should be taken out of players' hands.
"I'd like to see the selectors pick the sides, not the players," Waugh said. "There's been a lot of players recently picking sides and saying who should be in the team. That's the selectors' job."
Waugh's comments came after Khawaja last week suggested Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne join him in Australia's top three, which would have forced a squeeze elsewhere.
Bailey on Wednesday defended players supporting their state teammates when asked questions by media, insistent those views never influenced the panel.
And he maintained he and his panel of Andrew McDonald and Tony Dodemaide had found other ways to blood young talent.
"My question back, is there a tipping number once a player hits an age you move them on?" Bailey said. "Is that what it should be for all the guys in the team still performing? Should that be the most important criteria?
"That's not to say you're not aware of the age profile of the team, but we see each and every Test as being important. You have Australia A tours, getting guys across to the sub-continent ... getting guys in and around Test squads, utilising one-day cricket as an entry point."
Bailey also defended the selection of Khawaja and backed his experience, with the opener's 232 in Sri Lanka in January one of just two scores above 50 in his past 26 Test innings.
Australia are also yet to settle on the role of his opening partner since Warner's retirement, with Steven Smith first going into the position.
Youngsters Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas were both given chances last summer, with Labuschagne or Jake Weatherald likely to open in the first Ashes Test in Perth.