While is is likely that he bids farewell to the Yonex All England Open Championships after 15 years challenging the world's best, Simon Archer still hopes to say hello to the Commonwealth Games.

Archer suggested his first round men's doubles exit will be his last match in the world's most prestigious tournament, though, tantalisingly, he left open the possibility he could yet be back in March 2007.

But the Worcester doubles player, with enough gold, silver and bronze medals in his career to have a listing on the metals market, hopes his performances at the National Indoor Arena have persuaded the England selectors that he deserves a place in the squad to travel to Melbourne in March.

"I think I've proved a point this week," said Archer. "I believe I'm more than good enough to be in the squad for Melbourne."

The selectors have yet to decide the make-up of the squad in terms of singles and doubles players, but next Wednesday is going to be D-Day for the 31-year-old.

Archer, who has nine Commonwealth medals, has floated the suggestion that he could team up with Nathan Robertson - the pairing which won world bronze in 1999 - since the Nottinghamshire player has dropped men's doubles to concentrate on his partnership with Gail Emms, with whom he won Olympic silver in Athens.

Archer and David Lindley - the former's conqueror in the mixed doubles on Wednesday and who is another Melbourne candidate - sensed a real upset in yesterday's men's doubles when they moved to within two points of beating fourth seeds Luluk Hadiyanto and Alvent Yulianto.

But the Indonesians, having lost the first game and trailed 13-11 in the second, recovered to take the match into a third game.

Though the English pair opened up a 4-2 lead, Hadiyanto and Yulianto squeezed through to win in the longest match of the tournament so far. Their 11-15, 15-13, 15-9 scoreline took 92 minutes.

Archer said: "It's got to be the best men's doubles I've played for a while, probably since I won the nationals.

"I feel a lot more positive. I've been able to play a world-class men's doubles pair and have them on the rack."

Archer, the 1999 mixed doubles winner with Jo Goode, waved to all sides of the arena as he exited but he left the door ajar on a return.

"I'm 95 per cent certain I won't be here in 2007 but I will only make my mind up after the world championships," he said. "If I feel as though I can compete, I'll think about carrying on."