Filling Adam Gilchrist and Mathew Hayden shoes is tough says Australian Opener Shane Watson
Australia’s most dependable all-rounder has an added responsibility in the ICC World Cup 2011 come this Monday and that is to take up the role of the former Australian legends Adam Gilchrist and Mathew Hayden as the opener for Australia.
Watson has been opening the bating for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 for a while now but that fact remains that he has never opened an innings for his team in a World Cup. For the last three World Cups, Gilchrist had opened for the Aussies. Both ‘Gilly’ and ‘Haydon’ played a vital role in defending the Australian World title in the Caribbean in 2007.
However, now that the veterans have retired, it is up to Watson and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to deliver the goods for the defending champions as openers.
Talking about taking the place of Gilchrist and Hayden, Watson said, “They (Hayden and Gilchrist's) are big shoes to fill. They have performed unbelievably well and in World Cups as well. I will be doing my best and hopefully have a consistent tournament that will give Australia a better chance of winning.”
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326, reiterated that he was excited about his role in the World Cup, speaking to media men he said, “I am looking forward to a great challenge during the World Cup. I have been lucky enough to spend a bit of time here in the last few years and getting used to the conditions.”
He rubbished the rumours that Australia were not at their level best this time owing to the fact that they had lost both their warm-up games against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757. Watson clarified that the team was experimenting during the warm-ups and the results of the friendly games were not important enough of the players to worry about.
He insisted that every individual in the Australian squad knows his role in the World Cup and the players are well settled to play the World Cup.
Watson is no alien to the playing conditions in the subcontinent because he has played in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) for the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rajasthan-c837 Royals. This makes him experienced enough to judge how the wicket is going to play and what he needs to do in order to cope with the conditions at hand.
Watson has been tremendously successful for Australia over the past year in his role as an opener. He also comes in handy as a bowler where his main job is to squeeze the flow of runs and take a couple of key wickets while he is at it.
His ability to bat and bowl makes him a highly rated all-rounder for the Aussies. He played an impressive role in the recent 6-1 victory against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c749 in a seven-match One Day International (ODI) series that concluded last month. This victory came after the English defeated the Aussies in the Ashes series in Australia after 24 years.
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