Watson looks for bowling stint in Ashes opener
21 Nov 2013 5:04 AM IST
During training this week the 32-year-old all-rounder was able to bowl in the nets off just a few paces.
Watson said he will not be able to bowl at full speed until the second Test, starting in Adelaide on December 5, but he believes he can still contribute to the attack in Thursday’s series-opener in Brisbane.
While pacemen Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle will launch an all-out assault on the English batsmen, Watson said he will be trying to restrict the scoring and tie the tourists down.
‘I’m confident I can provide a role. I probably won’t be at full capacity with the ball,’ he told reporters at the Gabba.
‘I won’t be going flat out in this Test. Like the first Test (of the last series) I had a niggle there and did a job and bowled pretty tight and gave the other bowlers a rest.
‘I will be able to do a good enough job. By Adelaide I hope my body will be more hardened to go harder in the second Test. ‘It will just depend on how I continue to go over the next few days and get a gauge on what capacity I’ll be able to play. Everything’s progressing really well at the moment.’
Australia will be boosted if they can call on a fourth seamer to vary the attack, since the Gabba wicket generally flattens out during a Test match and suits batsmen who get a start in their innings.
Australia’s Pattinson hopes to be back for Boxing Day Test
BRISBANE: Australia’s fast bowling stocks got some welcome news on Tuesday after James Pattinson suggested he could be fit in time for matches later in the Ashes series against England.
The first Ashes Test, where the visitors will begin their quest for a fourth successive series victory, begins on Thursday at the Gabba in Brisbane. Australia’s fast bowling unit has seen a succession of promising young quicks make good impressions before breaking down in recent years.
Pattinson, who suffered a stress fracture in his lower back that ruled him out after the second Test of the Ashes series in England, said he could be available for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
‘I’ve started back bowling and I’m off about half a run-up and bowling about 70 percent now,’ Pattinson told Cricket Australia’s website. ‘Once I start back bowling it comes along pretty quickly and I’ll hopefully be right maybe in a month’s time. Obviously it was frustrating but I’m still young and hopefully I can just use this time.’
Watson said he will not be able to bowl at full speed until the second Test, starting in Adelaide on December 5, but he believes he can still contribute to the attack in Thursday’s series-opener in Brisbane.
While pacemen Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle will launch an all-out assault on the English batsmen, Watson said he will be trying to restrict the scoring and tie the tourists down.
‘I’m confident I can provide a role. I probably won’t be at full capacity with the ball,’ he told reporters at the Gabba.
‘I won’t be going flat out in this Test. Like the first Test (of the last series) I had a niggle there and did a job and bowled pretty tight and gave the other bowlers a rest.
‘I will be able to do a good enough job. By Adelaide I hope my body will be more hardened to go harder in the second Test. ‘It will just depend on how I continue to go over the next few days and get a gauge on what capacity I’ll be able to play. Everything’s progressing really well at the moment.’
Australia will be boosted if they can call on a fourth seamer to vary the attack, since the Gabba wicket generally flattens out during a Test match and suits batsmen who get a start in their innings.
Australia’s Pattinson hopes to be back for Boxing Day Test
BRISBANE: Australia’s fast bowling stocks got some welcome news on Tuesday after James Pattinson suggested he could be fit in time for matches later in the Ashes series against England.
The first Ashes Test, where the visitors will begin their quest for a fourth successive series victory, begins on Thursday at the Gabba in Brisbane. Australia’s fast bowling unit has seen a succession of promising young quicks make good impressions before breaking down in recent years.
Pattinson, who suffered a stress fracture in his lower back that ruled him out after the second Test of the Ashes series in England, said he could be available for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
‘I’ve started back bowling and I’m off about half a run-up and bowling about 70 percent now,’ Pattinson told Cricket Australia’s website. ‘Once I start back bowling it comes along pretty quickly and I’ll hopefully be right maybe in a month’s time. Obviously it was frustrating but I’m still young and hopefully I can just use this time.’
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