<
        >

          Watson wants to cement Test spot

          • Andrew McGlashan, Deputy editor, ESPNcricinfoOct 18, 2005, 05:12 AM
            Close
              Deputy Editor Andrew arrived at ESPNcricinfo via Manchester and Cape Town, after finding the assistant editor at a weak moment as he watched England's batting collapse in the Newlands Test. Andrew began his cricket writing as a freelance covering Lancashire during 2004 when they were relegated in the County Championship. In fact, they were top of the table when he began reporting on them but things went dramatically downhill. He likes to let people know that he is a supporter of county cricket, a fact his colleagues will testify to and bemoan in equal quantities.

          Shane Watson, the Australian allrounder, has said that the fortnight of Super Series action has seen him evolve and done wonders to his morale but knows that he is far from certain of a long-term spot in the Australia line-up.

          "I see there is an opportunity at the moment for an allrounder but there are no assurances, even when you are in the team, that you will get an extended run. It all depends on your performances."

          Watson shone during the one-day series, bagging two Man of the Match awards. At Sydney, although he made just 24 and 10 and sent down six wicketless overs he didn't feel overawed during the Super Test. "I felt really comfortable out there, I felt I had the game and the technique to be a Test-match batsman so it was disappointing not to be able to cash in."

          However, he realises that it is his bowling which is the key factor in his retaining a place in the line-up, and says he is striving to get to the next level with his performance. "It [his bowling] gives the side more flexibility and options as the third or fourth bowler. It has been improving a lot and playing against the best batsmen is a great challenge. It didn't go exactly to plan in the first innings but that's the game.

          "I believe that I can get wickets, with my pace. I know that I can bowl, I'm not saying I can't, just that I am going to improve in the next year or so. This has been the first time in a long time, forever really, that I have had an extended run without injuries. I do believe that I can be the third seamer in the Australia team."

          Watson admitted that the pressure of expectation does still get to him, especially when it comes to his bowling. "The more I develop my bowling I know that will start to go away. The great thing is I have the best resources in the world around me with Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. They have been great to talk to about bowling and I know I will be able to improve."

          After the Test, Ricky Ponting gave a strong indication that the Australians want to persevere with Watson in the Test side. "I was saying it would have been nice at different times through the Ashes to have that one more bowling option," said Ponting. "He's a young bloke and has developed his game over the last 12 months. He is someone who I think has a bright and long future in the Australian Test team."

          Watson added that Ponting has never put too much pressure on him and was an important figure in his development. "He knows how hard I work and how much I want to continue to improve myself. He has seen me develop since I was 19 or 20, when I moved to Tasmania, and he sort of took me under his wing."

          He was also quick to praise Andrew Flintoff after the pair had chatted over a drink in the team hotel. During the match Flintoff urged the Australians to be patient with their allrounder and give him time to mature.