Watson admits he is in a race against time to be fit to play South Africa – Cricket News Update
Australian all-rounder, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Watson-c2558, admitted that he is in a race against time to be fit for the upcoming home summer, where his side will tackle South Africa in the first of three Tests, starting from November 9, at Gabba.
After being troubled by a hamstring strain exactly 12 months back, Watson finds himself in a similar situation where another period on the sidelines beckons following a calf complaint during his appearance in the Sheffield Shield competition.
He missed all four Tests against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755, and for the subsequent World T20 campaign, where his scintillating performances earned him the Player of the Tournament accolade.
He then took part in the Champions League T20, representing Sydney Sixers, and played most of the group matches before being called up by the Australian management, who were eager to manage his workload ahead of the crucial series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757.
After resting for a week, he featured for his state side, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-South-Wales-c823, and managed 33 with the bat before aggravating a calf injury while bowling. He instantly walked out of the ground and went for scans, leaving the Aussie preparations in a state of confusion.
While possibility of playing him as a batsman has been tabled, Watson says that he will take all the precautionary measures to ensure that he doesn't miss the remainder of the series.
"It's still a little bit stiff, I'm just hoping it settles down over the next couple of days," http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326 said. "Alex [Kountouris, the team physio] had a little look at it, we're just seeing how it sort of pans out over the next couple of days ... see whether I'm a chance to be able to play in the first Test.
"It's not as bad [as it's been], it's only pretty minor but I know how things can go if you don't really look after it and get it right the first time. I'll be certainly making sure I get it right the first time."
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