Shane Watson believes he's still got plenty of cricket left in him
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson is confident that he can continue to be an integral member of the Australian ODI and T20 teams, reports cricket.com.au. The 34-year-old said that he still has the desire in him to perform at his best and believes the rest period leading up to the Big Bash League will help him in the long run.
Watson announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this year following the Ashes loss against England in which he was dropped from the side after failing in the opening Test match. His career has been constantly marred with injuries forcing Watson to give up on the longer format of the game as he attempts to concentrate on the limited-overs formats.
The Aussie showed signs of returning to his best against Victoria in the ongoing Matador ODI cup, after an indifferent start in which he failed to pass 25 in four innings. Talking about his knock of 64, which included five boundaries and a six, Watson said that he was trying to spend more time in the middle but intends to score at a much quicker pace in the future.
"I was just trying to spend some time in the middle and the guys who were coming in were hitting the ball very nicely," Watson said. "I just wanted to get some rhythm in my batting and I was getting there. It would have been nice to have scored a bit quicker and bat on a bit longer, which would have made the chase a little bit easier.”
The stylish batsman will hope to score well in the Big Bash tournament later in the summer, and hope to get back in the scheme of things in the limited-overs formats for Australia through his performances. Australia have a tight season ahead of them, with the long series against New Zealand to be followed by the ICC World T20 in India.
“I just want to get back to being at my best. That desire still burns inside me and I know that I've still got some good cricket left in me,” he said.
The all-rounder said he was particularly excited about the Big Bash and looks to significantly contribute to his team.
"I'm really excited (about the BBL). It's an incredible tournament. To think that domestic cricket is able to get 30 or 40-thousand people consistently at the games and also the viewers on TV is mind-blowing, so I'm really excited,” Watson remarked.
The entertaining all-rounder is hopeful that the rest period following the conclusion of the Matador will help him in preparing physically for the high-profile tournament.
"Having a bit of time to be able to freshen up in November and then get back into a bit of preparation time leading into the Big Bash is going to be exactly what I need,”â?? he said. “â??I've got a really good lead-in of around six weeks so I'm going to make the most of that.”